The Nineteen Missing Years
by PotterAddict394
Summary: The war has ended and life has moved on. For Harry and his friends however, the drama is never over, and Voldemort was just one of the many obstacles that they had to overcome. Follow Harry and the group for the next nineteen years in this drama filled adventure of love, betrayal, violence, and answers to the many questions that have been asked over time.
1. The Following Year

_JK Rowling ended her story "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" at the end of the second war with Voldemort. She then followed up with an epilogue entitled "19 Years Later". This is the story of those 19 years in between. Please note that the information provided by "The Cursed Child" will **not** be taken into account for this fanfiction. _

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter One: The Following Year**

 **Ron Weasley - Present Day**

 **October 7, 1999**

Ron Weasley walked down the hallway towards the marble staircase. He felt something hot in his pocket, but he didn't bother to take a look. It was probably Essa, and he wasn't in the mood to deal with her at the moment. He still jumped when he felt the warmth in his pocket. It had been about a year since everything had happened, yet it still took some getting used to. Muggles knowing about the wizarding world, Hogwarts going past year seven, and most recently, burning galleons to communicate. Hermione's famous communication galleons from his fifth year had become ever so popular, particularly because it could now be bewitched to send a worded message to one person of your choice as opposed to everyone in a group. She claimed that she got the idea from "muggle texting," whatever that was. He had to admit though, out of all the changes that his two best friends, Harry Potter and Hermione Granger, along with The Order of the Phoenix, had seen to, Ron had liked this one the most. It was far more easier than sending out an owl and waiting sometimes days for a reply. He was also impartial to the muggles knowing about them. Sure it was a change, but it didn't really affect him. He had always known about them, the change would have had a much larger impact on the muggles. What had affected Ron the most was the extended years at Hogwarts. Hermione thought that seven years simply wasn't enough for a witch or wizard to be fully educated, and somehow she had convinced the entire Order to agree with her and in turn got the Ministry of Magic to agree to extend the magical education. It probably helped that the Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt, was also part of the Order. Ron felt his pocket grow hot again, and he pulled out his galleon to see a message from Hermione:

 _Heard you had a tough Runes assignment. Let me know if you could use some help._

"Yeah," said Ron aloud, "I only have a tough Runes assignment thanks to you." Not only did Hermione push to have extended school years, she also pushed to have all elective courses become compulsory. At least she's forced to take Divination, Ron thought to himself. It was a class that he knew she completely despised. He looked back down at the Galleon. Only last year would he have jumped on the possibility of having Hermione help him (or rather do) an assignment for him. That was before Hermione had become his girlfriend, and definitely before she had become his ex. Ron put his galleon away without replying. _She's lucky that I even talk to her,_ he thought to himself. He could have dealt with them breaking up, he could have gone back to the way things were before the wizarding war, he could have even been fine with the fact that she was now dating Viktor Krum again. All this could have been acceptable had she not broken up with Ron and dated Draco Malfoy for a full year.

 **Ginny Weasley - Present Day**

 **October 7, 1999**

Another bloody owl from Mum. When was she going to give up? She supposed she should be thankful that Mum never adapted to the new galleons, otherwise she would get messages almost every hour. Ginny read her newly arrived letter. "Less of a Weasley, am I?" she said aloud to herself. So it made her less of a Weasley since she dyed her hair black? She was simply tired of the red; it clashed with everything. How did that make her less of a Weasley? It didn't matter anyway; one day she would be a Potter. She knew that her relationship with Harry would last forever. It was so different compared to all the other relationships around her. Ron and Essa, Ron and Hermione, Hermione and Malfoy, Hermione and Krum! No, her and Harry's relationship was completely different. It was calm, stress-free, and dare she say it- normal. There were no problems, no fights, no jealousy. It was just them. She finished reading the rest of the letter. Great, turns out she would have to apparate home on Saturday. Mum wanted everyone there for dinner and since she also Owled Harry, Ginny knew Harry would never say no. Putting the thought of Saturday behind her, she grabbed her Galleon and messaged Harry.

 _Meet me in the great hall before Transfiguration?_

Ginny loved that the new education regime focused on a student's skill level rather than their age. You no longer had to wait a whole year to complete the course load before moving up to the next year. Now, you simply had seven levels of each subject, and would move up to the next one once you successfully completed the one you were on. That meant that Ginny was able to take some courses with Harry if she worked hard enough and moved up levels quickly to catch up to him. She knew she would never have Defense against the Dark Arts with him, as Harry had already received his NEWT and was finished with the program, but she had a chance of having the new compulsory courses with him as they both had to start from the bottom at the same time. There was no longer an age set for when you finished Hogwarts either; once you received all of your NEWTs, you would be finished school. (Unless, of course, you failed your OWL for a course, you would therefore not be able to continue to your NEWT in that case.) Ginny wondered how Hermione had not yet graduated from Hogwarts; she had already gotten several NEWTs. She supposed it must be because her, Harry, and Ron did so much work at the Ministry as well as attended school that she simply didn't have the time to completely finish all of her courses. Ginny felt her galleon heat up.

 _Can't, at the Ministry. Will probably miss Transfiguration too_.

Ginny frowned. Harry spent almost every moment at the Ministry these days. The war had been over for more than a year; what could they still possibly want with Harry that couldn't wait for him to graduate first? She put her charmed galleon away and headed towards the great hall. Maybe Luna would be around and would want to have lunch.

 **Hermione Granger - Present Day**

 **October 7, 1999**

Hermione knew she should return Viktor's message as he had been attempting to contact her all morning, but she had her Arithmancy NEWT coming up and she was nose deep into her notes. She would message him before her next class, she told herself as she continued to study. She hadn't done pretty much anything all day except for study. It was getting harder to focus on her studies with everything going on around her. She found herself at the Ministry almost three days a week helping the head of the Muggle Association deal with all the changes in the muggle world. The wizarding world coming clean about who they were hadn't been easy. With all the changes occurring in Muggle politics, the American Minister of Magic along with the British Minister agreed that they needed to out their secret before the Muggle President did it for them and misrepresented who they really were. Hermione pulled her planner towards her. She had two meetings this week at the Ministry, her NEWT, her regular classes, dinner at the Weasley's (she had received an owl that morning), a meeting with the head healer at St. Mungo's, one of Viktor's quidditch matches, and a study session with Ron to help him with his Runes paper. She frowned, looking at her planner. She was not going to be able to do everything that was scheduled. She considered telling Viktor she would catch the next game. After all, the season had only started a few months ago. As she grabbed her galleon to message him, she realized she had already cancelled for his last two matches. She really had no interest in the sport, but she was his girlfriend after all and knew that he supported her through everything she did. She frowned again and stared at her planner. "Help Ron with Runes," she read aloud. She took her quill and put a line through it. Who was she kidding, Ron wasn't going to accept her help; he didn't even bother to reply to her message. She knew it was too good to be true when they agreed to be friends, just like before the wizarding war. Her galleon grew hot again. Viktor. She knew she should reply to him but she put the galleon away anyway. Hermione really only had three boyfriends before so she wasn't always sure what she was acceptable and what was not. One was an international quidditch player who was busier than she was, one was a mistake that never should have happened, and one was (although she hated to admit it to herself) her one true love. She frowned yet again. _I love Viktor_ , she told herself. But no matter how many times she tried to forget, she knew that her heart would always belong to Draco Malfoy.

 **Draco Malfoy – The Past**

 **July 22, 1998**

Draco walked into the Ministry in his finest robes and his head held high. He was definitely terrified, but he was a Malfoy, and Malfoys were proud people. He had been looking forward to this day for a while. He would finally have his trial, be released of all charges, and be given his wand back. Now that the day had arrived, however, he was incredibly nervous. _Mother was released of all charges last week,_ he reminded himself. _I was just a boy, an innocent boy_. He tried to ignore the nagging voice in the back of his mind. He knew he was not innocent. His mother was just the wife of a Death Eater who helped save famous Harry Potter. Draco, on the other hand, was given the task to kill Albus Dumbledore and had quite the hand in his death. Furthermore, Draco had the Dark Mark. Not a single witch or wizard with the Dark Mark had been let off so far. He walked into the court room expecting to find the entire Wizengamot. Instead, he saw five people. In the center of the high table sat Kingsley Shacklebolt, Minister of Magic. To his right was Rubin Yaxley, head of Magical Law Enforcement, and to his right was one of the Weasley sons whom Draco recognized but did not know. To the left of the Minister was Harry Potter. _Of course Potter would be here,_ Malfoy thought to himself. He did not know who was next to Potter but knew the witch must have worked for the Daily Prophet.

"Please have a seat, Mr. Malfoy," the Minister said to him, not unkindly. "July 22, 1998, the trial of Mr. Draco Malfoy," the Minister began. Both the Weasley son and the Daily Prophet witch started to write. "Present council members are myself, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Minister of Magic, Rubin Yaxley, head of the Magical Law Enforcement, Harry Potter, head of the Dobwig Association, and Percy Weasley, secretary. Also present, Serene Evelston, Daily Prophet reporter. Leading the trial is Rubin Yaxley. Mr. Yaxley, you may begin."

"Thank you, Minister." Yaxley looked down at Draco with cold eyes. _Why on earth would they allow a relative of a death eater conduct these hearings?_ Draco wondered. "You are Draco Malfoy, son of Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy, known followers of You-Know-Who?"

"Narcissa was acquitted and Lucius has yet to stand his trial," Harry interrupted. Yaxley ignored him and stared at Draco.

"I am Draco Malfoy, son of Lucius and Narcissa, yes," he responded. And so the trial began. Several questions were asked of Draco, including his involvement with the Dark Lord, his association with other known Death Eaters (although Potter interjected a lot when a Death Eater who had yet to be convicted was named), his involvement in Dumbledore's death, and his actions during the final battle. He answered the questions as best he could. His mother's words stuck in his mind. "Please Draco, don't be proud, be sweet and pleading, I need my son to come home." And so Draco put on his best face of sorrow and tried his best to seem terrified and remorseful. He seemed to think it was working. That was until the next question.

"Do you have the Dark Mark embedded on your skin?" Yaxley asked him. Draco frowned. _Shit,_ he thought. The truth was that he did have it, but never wanted it. If he had denied The Dark Lord, both him and his family would have died. He knew Yaxley would never have believed him though. This was the end of his trial, he was going to go to Azkaban. "Well?" Yaxley demanded. Draco rolled up his left sleeve and showed the mark to the council members.

"I had no choice," he told them.

Yaxley snorted. "Well I think that concludes this trial then, no other proof is needed," he said as he looked towards the Minister for approval. Before the Minister could respond, Harry leaned forward.

"The Healers at St. Mungo's are working on a way to have the Mark removed," he said to Draco. "Should they succeed, would you willingly go through with the procedure?"

"Wha- yeah I would," Draco responded, unsure where Potter was going with this.

"You cannot possibly deem this boy innocent!" Yaxley said, staring at Potter. "Come now, he has the Dark Mark! He is the son of a known Death Eater!"

"I do not believe having the Dark Mark should be the one thing to seal your fate Mr. Yaxley," he said, staring at Yaxley. "There are many other factors to consider. And as stated already at this trial, Lucius Malfoy has not had his trial as of yet and has therefore not been convicted as a Death Eater." Draco sat there bewildered. Was Potter actually defending him?

"Very well," Yaxley said turning to the Minister. "I have concluded my questioning. It is my opinion that the defendant is guilty and should therefore be held responsible."

"Noted, thank you Mr. Yaxley. Mr. Potter?" Kingsley asked, turning towards Harry. There was a long pause where Harry surveyed Draco. Seven long years of hatred were brewing between the two. How ironic it was that Potter of all people was going to be the one to seal Draco's fate and send him to Azkaban. The thought infuriated Draco more so than the trial itself.

"Not guilty," Harry replied. Draco was stunned. Had he actually heard correctly? Not guilty?

"Thank you, Mr. Potter." The Minister said. He turned to Draco. "Have you heard of the new education program at Hogwarts, Mr. Malfoy?"

"I have, Minister," Draco responded.

"Should you be released from this trial free of all charges, would you attend and complete the new program, as well as remove your Dark Mark should the solution be created?"

Draco was in shock. "Yes, of course, Minister."

"Would you submit yourself as a client to the Dobwig Association, which forces you to attend meetings and allows members to check on you whenever they deem appropriate to do so?"

"I would, Minister," Draco responded. Normally he would be reluctant to do such a thing, but he could not afford to be right now; he may have been the most luckiest he has ever been.

"Very well, Mr. Malfoy. You must do all that it is you just agreed to, as well as oblige to every wizarding law. Note that you will still be under review and this decision made today may be revoked at any time. You will have a review hearing in approximately one years' time. Do you understand, Mr. Malfoy?"

"Yes, Minister."

"Very well, you may go." And just like that, Draco was free.

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 **Author's notes:** Hey everyone, hope you enjoy what is going to be a very long and very detailed story! Please feel free to message with questions and comments, I will try and post as frequently as I can!


	2. Pressure

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Two: Pressure**

 **Hermione Granger - Present Day**

 **October 8, 1999**

 _I'm sorry I haven't gotten back to you, is everything alright?_

Hermione finally sent a message to her boyfriend then turned back to her book. She was surprised when she felt her galleon grow hot right away as Viktor should have been at Quidditch practice.

 _Can you meet me at Hogsmeade to talk?_

Hermione read the message and frowned. No, she really couldn't meet him but assumed that the right thing to do as his girlfriend would be to say yes.

 _Sure, I will head over shortly._

She sent her reply and headed out of the castle fairly quickly and did not watch as she bumped right into Draco. "Oops, I'm so sorry I - oh, hello." Draco reached out a hand to help steady her.

"Hello, Hermione," he said. "You alright?" Hermione started to hurry off but Draco grabbed her arm and stopped her. "Wait, can we talk?" He asked her. No, there was no way she was going to talk to him. His actions were unforgivable, she loathed him, she wanted nothing more than to be far away from those perfect lips.. Draco seemed to have known where her thoughts were. "My review hearing is next week. Please? Just to talk?" Hermione hesitated. She knew how big this meeting was. If the council didn't think Draco had changed, he would be sent to Azkaban for the rest of his life. Still, it did not change anything.

"You'll be alright, Draco, you know what you need to say." And she turned around and walked out. She apparated outside of the Hogwarts grounds as soon as she could. She could have walked to Hogsmeade, but she didn't want to take the chance of Draco coming after her. In a short few minutes, she found herself embracing her new (yet old) boyfriend. "Is everything alright?" She asked him.

"Vell," said Viktor. "It turns out the entire team hates the new coach and none of them decided to show up to practice today in protest." And so Hermione sat down for the next half hour and listened to Viktor complain about his boring team and their childish behavior. She knew when to say uh huh, of course, and no way! to keep Viktor talking, but her thoughts were far from quidditch. They currently were with Draco, and that stolen year they had together, right before the end when everything went sour. She thought of all those amazing moments together, his touch, his lips, his arms. When they were alone, everything had been perfect. When they were alone, everything felt right in Hermione's life. When they were alone, they were equals. The problem was, they weren't always alone. You couldn't always hide away together, nor could you hide the fact that she was a Gryffindor and he was a Slytherin. Or better yet, he was a pure blood and she was a Mudblood.

 **Harry Potter - Present Day**

 **October 8, 1999**

"I'm sorry Ginny, blame your brother. This is his shift I'm covering."

"I am going to kill Ron. Promise me I'll see you tonight?" Harry grabbed Ginny and kissed her hard. He missed holding her and kissing her whenever he pleased. He had become so busy that he rarely had time to see her. The Dobwig Association had become busier than ever, he still had to maintain his school work, the Order of the Phoenix was still meeting on a weekly basis, and Harry made it a priority to frequent with his Godson, Teddy. After all that, it was difficult to find a few minutes to spend with his beautiful girlfriend.

"Tonight, I promise. Now get out of my office before my client shows up!" Ginny smiled and kissed Harry one more time then left. It took Harry a moment to find his bearings. Who was his client today, anyway? Normally he left these follow up meetings for Ron, as Harry had too much to do, himself. But Ron had begged Harry to cover for him today, claiming to be sick. "Stupid git," Harry had told him. "I'm not going to tell Essa that you aren't really sick mate."

"She might pop by at the office to see if I'm lying!" Ron had said. "Please!"

"Alright!" Harry agreed. "But sever ties with her, will you? I have enough stuff to do!" Shaking his head at his previous conversation with his best friend, Harry grabbed the file of the client coming in so he could review. "Let's see," he mumbled out loud. "Attends Hogwarts, removed the dark mark about four months ago, father sentenced to life in Azkaban.. Wait a minute.." Harry groaned. The client coming in today was Draco Malfoy. Ron was such a prat. Harry flipped through the file some more. Based on Ron's notes, it seemed as though Malfoy would qualify for a full release. Good, thought Harry, this meeting will go by quickly _._ He opened the door to an annoyed Malfoy in the waiting room. "Afternoon Malfoy, you can come in."

"I'm with you today, Potter? Where's Weasley?"

"Sick." Harry said no more and entered his office, waiting for Malfoy to follow. Malfoy walked in and started to look around at all of Harry's items on the wall. It took several moments before Malfoy sat down and focused his attention on Harry. "So you have your review hearing in a week," Harry started. "Do you have any questions?"

"Who will be there?" Malfoy asked.

"The same panel as before," Harry answered.

"Will I have to keep coming here?"

"There are several outcomes that could happen. You could be completely acquitted, you could be put under review for another period of time, or.."

"Or I could go to Azkaban," Malfoy supplied.

"Right," said Harry. There were a few minutes of silence. "Any new OWLs or NEWTs?" Harry asked.

"Not since I last met with Weasley, but my potions NEWT is scheduled for a couple of weeks from now." Harry made some notes in the file. Usually these meetings were easy, but with Malfoy it was incredibly awkward.

"I think we are good for today, Malfoy," said Harry. "I'll see you at your review next week."

"Why did you defend me?" Malfoy blurted out.

"What?"

"At my hearing last year, you defended me. Why?"

Harry looked Malfoy straight in the face. "It's my job to state the facts, that's all. And," Harry hesitated for a few moments. "I don't think you're a murderer."

Malfoy was silent for a while. "Thank you." And without another word, he got up and left the office.

 **Ron Weasley - Present Day**

 **October 8, 1999**

Ron lay across his four poster bed working on some charms homework. He disliked very much being alone. Being alone forced him to think too much. To think about Essa, his girlfriend, the woman he loved, and to think about Hermione too. Ron frowned as another message came through his galleon. He needed to speak to Essa; he wasn't treating her right. But there was so much pressure dating Essa, just like there had been so much pressure dating Hermione. He recalled his mother's warnings when she first heard about him and Hermione.

"She's a good girl Ronald, you treat her right. She's like family."

Ginny had some words too. "She's my friend, I'll know if you screw up. You better be good to her and keep her happy."

Even Harry had some words for him. "Just remember that she's one of my best friends too mate. Her and I will always look out for each other." It's as if the world thought Ron wasn't good enough to date someone like Hermione. The pressure with Essa almost seemed worse. Essa Delacour was Fleur Delacour's cousin, and Fleur was married to Ron's eldest brother Bill. If he thought that the pressure was tough with Hermione, it was nothing compared to what his relationship with Essa brought. The truth was that he loved Essa; She was what he had always wanted in a woman. Tall, beautiful, long flowing white blonde hair, and a mesmerizing French accent. She was funny, smart, outgoing, and she adored Ron. Essa and Ron were meant to be, and yet all Ron did lately was avoid her. He was tired of the pressure. His whole life was nothing but pressure. The pressure of being the youngest male Weasley, the pressure of being Harry Potter's friend, the pressure of becoming a Gryffindor, the pressure of dating Hermione, and now the pressure of dating Essa. Ron couldn't deal with pressure anymore; he wanted easy. He reached into his bag and pulled out a piece of paper with ten digits on it. Essa was pressure, but Jessica was not. Nobody knew her and nobody expected anything from them. He sighed as he stared at the piece of paper. Jessica had said it was a phone number but Ron wasn't sure what to do with it. He got up and headed towards the grounds. He couldn't call Jessica, but he could easily apparate to her. Yes, being with a muggle would be much easier.

 **Ron Weasley - The Past**

 **September 28, 1998**

Ron sat outside of the girls dormitories for nearly four hours. It was 2am when he saw Hermione stumbling in. "Where have you been?"

"Ron!" Hermione said surprised. "What are you doing up?"

"I could ask you the same. Where have you been?"

"I've been walking the grounds," Hermione responded.

Ron snorted. "Walking the grounds alone in the middle of the night?"

"Well no," Hermione said. "You know who I was with." Ron turned away. "Ron, wait! Think about what he's going through. He just needs a friend!"

"A friend can have lunch occasionally, not spend all night together!" Ron yelled at her. "And since when is Malfoy your friend? How are you friends with a Death Eater?"

"He is not a Death Eater, Ronald! You know that he was forced! He's really just a child of war like you and I!"

"A child of war?" Ron got even louder. "Malfoy has caused nothing but problems since our first year! He lived with You-Know-Who during the war! He called you a mudblood on more than one occasion!"

"Ron I know all this, but please, try to understand!" Hermione said calmly yet desperately. "He lost his father. Lucius going to Azkaban is basically like he died!"

"It's what he deserves, Hermione!"

"Yes, but it doesn't change the fact that Draco lost his father."

"That isn't your problem."

Hermione hesitated. "I know how he feels. I lost my Mum and Dad, too. Draco and I can relate. You're lucky to have both your Mum and Dad, Ron."

Ron got even angrier. "Go relate to Harry! Go relate to Neville! Why him?"

"Because he needs me, Ronald!"

Ron stared at Hermione. "I need you too."

"And I'll always be here Ron, I'm your girlfriend. But right now, Draco needs me more."

Ron headed towards the boys dormitory. "It's me or him Hermione."

"What?" asked Hermione, surprised.

"You need to pick," Ron said sternly.

"I will not!" Hermione said defiantly. "This is ridiculous! You are my boyfriend, he is my friend! There is nothing to pick!"

"If I mean anything to you, you'll stop spending time with Malfoy."

"I'm sorry, Ron, but I can't do that."

Ron turned his back on her and slammed the door shut. He sat at the window and stared out into the grounds. A few moments had gone by when he spotted movement near the forbidden forest. He grabbed his telescope and looked towards the edge of the trees. There was no mistaking that bushy brown hair. Who was she with, he wondered. He squinted harder into the telescope. Malfoy. Hatred ran through Ron's veins as he saw them together. The sight of his girlfriend with her new friend made him sick. He went to lower his telescope, but something made him do a double take. No, it couldn't be. He could not have just seen Malfoy kiss his girlfriend.

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 **Author's Notes:** So my plot picks up in chapter four but introduced in chapter three. I use these first couple of chapters to help establish where the character's currently are.


	3. The Emergency Meeting

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter** **Three: The Emergency Meeting**

 **Ginny Weasley - Present Day**

 **October 9, 1999**

"Seriously, Mum, everyone is here for dinner. Can we just drop it, please?"

"Well what did you expect to happen, Ginevra, when you dyed your hair black? That I would just be accepting of it?" Saturday had arrived and Ginny along with Harry, Ron, Hermione, George, and Percy sat around Molly Weasley's table for dinner.

"Fine, I'm sorry," Ginny told her mother, hoping it would end the conversation. To her annoyance, however, Mrs. Weasley continued her rant.

"What was wrong with red hair? We all have it, and it looks wonderful! What do you think Harry? Don't you agree that Ginny should go back to her natural red?"

Ginny looked at Harry's embarrassed face. "Uh, I would rather not get involved, Mrs. Weasley."

Ginny laughed. "Let it go Mum, who else is coming for dinner?"

Disgruntled, Mrs. Weasley replied, "Charlie couldn't get away of course, so just your father, Bill, Fleur, and Essa."

Ginny watched her brother's head shoot up from the galleon in his hand. "Essa is coming?" Ron asked his mother.

"Well of course, Dear, why wouldn't I invite that sweet girlfriend of yours?" Ginny wondered why Ron seemed upset about that. Was Ron and Essa having problems? At that moment, the four remaining dinner guests walked through the door. Bill, Fleur, and Arthur walked up to Molly and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Essa walked over to Ron. He reluctantly got up and gave her a small kiss before sitting back down.

"Well then," said Mrs. Weasley. "Shall we eat?" Dinner went by as it normally did. Afraid to have her mother bring up her hair again, Ginny decided not to engage in much conversation with her and instead pick up on the little conversations going on around her.

"So leettle Teddy eez doing good zen, Molly?" Fleur asked her mother-in-law.

"Growing fast every day!" Mrs. Weasley smiled.

"Are you sure everything is alright, Ron?" A concerned Essa asked her boyfriend.

"Fine, just hungry."

"Any more thought on new recruits?" Bill asked Harry. Ginny spun around. They were talking about the Order. Ginny had been promised she would be a part of it, but had yet to be allowed to attend a meeting and she was getting frustrated.

"Not much time to be honest," Harry responded. "Luckily, there is not much going on for the Order right now, so it really hasn't been a focus."

"But you do know who you want to induct?" Percy chimed in.

"Well, probably Neville and Luna, they fought alongside us at the battle of Hogwarts. And -" Harry quickly glanced at Ron. "Essa, if you want to."

"Of course I do!" Essa responded. Ron never looked up from his plate.

"And me, Harry," Ginny said.

Harry didn't answer her, instead he turned back to Bill. "Once we find some time, we can rebuild the order, I just don't think it's a priority right now." Ginny stayed quiet, but she was not going to let this go. She fought alongside the Order just like everyone else and deserved to be a part of it. At that moment, Andromeda Tonks burst through the door with little Teddy Lupin in her arms.

"Arthur! Molly! I am so sorry to disturb you!"

"Nonsense Andromeda!" Replied Arthur. "Is everything alright?"

"I'm afraid not! I just received an urgent message from Kingsley. The order is to meet immediately!" Andromeda had recently been inducted into the Order, just before Harry decided to put a halt on new members.

"Let's go!" Harry got up from the table and everyone else started to follow suit.

"Who can watch Teddy?" Andromeda asked.

"Ginny and Essa can," Harry responded. "They aren't in the order."

"But we are supposed to be!" Ginny argued. "If this is urgent we should be there too!"

"Not now!" Harry said sternly. "Stay here with Teddy. We will be back shortly." Ginny opened her mouth to argue, but Harry had already walked out the door, followed by Ron, Hermione, Bill, Fleur, Percy, and George. Essa took Teddy from Andromeda.

"You two stay here with Teddy," Arthur told Essa and Ginny. "We will send word when we can." And just like that, the rest of the adults left, leaving Essa and Ginny to play babysitter.

 **Harry Potter - Present Day**

 **October 9, 1999**

Harry was the first to apparate onto the step of number 12 Grimmauld Place. After the war, Harry, along with the help of Ron and Hermione, reorganized the house of Black and placed new charms on it to use as headquarters once more. It was difficult to be there without his Godfather Sirius, but Harry knew he had to keep going and the house of Black truly was the best place for headquarters to the Order of the Phoenix. It wasn't too long before the order started to file in. First to arrive was Ron, Hermione, George, Percy, Bill, and Fleur. Shortly after arrived Arthur, Molly, and Andromeda. Next to arrive were Hestia Jones, Dedalus Diggle, and Minerva McGonagall. Bringing up the rear were Rubeus Hagrid, Aberforth Dumbledore, Charlie Weasley, Mundungus Fletcher, and the Minister of Magic himself, Kingsley Shacklebolt.

"Minister," Harry said as he shook Kingsley's hand.

"Harry, here I am not your Minister." He looked around at the remaining members. "Thank you all for gathering on such short notice. Charlie, how were you able to get away from Romania so quickly?"

"I had a dragon sighting nearby, luckily I was already in the area," responded Charlie.

Kingsley nodded. "Let us not waste time, then. I've received some disturbing information." All eyes fell on Kingsley. "As you are aware, Pius Thicknesse roams free. He was ousted as Minister but never charged as a Death Eater."

"Which is absurd!" Said Hestia. "We all know he was working with You-Know-Who, and not under the imperius curse!"

Kingsley hesitated and looked at Harry. Harry in turn looked around the room. How much should he tell them? "The Minister and I, uh, Kingsley, decided it were best if one known Death Eater was not obtained. We allowed him to use the excuse of being under the imperius curse so that we would have someone to monitor." Harry explained.

"And monitor closely we did," Kingsley continued. "Based on what we have seen, it is believed that Thicknesse is communicating with another notorious wizard, one that we all thought to be dead but never had any proof of."

"Surely Kingsley, other than He Who Must Not Be Named and Grindelwald, who could there have been?" Minerva asked.

"I'm afraid the latter, Minerva," Kingsley responded.

"Grindelwald?" Harry said. "Grindelwald is dead! I saw Voldemort kill him!"

"Do you recall what spell he used, Harry?"

"Avada Kedavra, of course," responded Harry.

"But are you sure?" Asked Kingsley. "Think back. In your vision, did you clearly hear him say those words?"

Harry thought really hard to the memory of him seeing Voldemort's thoughts. He recalled seeing Voldemort wave his wand but could not remember the exact incantation. Harry looked up at Kingsley and shook his head.

"But surely it was Avada Kedavra, Minister," said Molly. "There are no other killing spells?"

"None that directly and instantly kill, Molly. It is our belief that another spell was used and Grindelwald was not killed that night."

"But I saw him die!" Argued Harry. "Regardless of what spell was used, he was dead! He was not petrified or anything, he died!"

"Harry, no spell can kill you instantly except for Avada Kedavra. Even dangerous spells, like Sectumsempra, still take time before it takes your life," said Hermione.

"Then he must have used Avada Kedavra," said Harry.

Kingsley looked around at everyone else in the room. "As Ms. Granger said, there is no other spell that can instantly kill you except for Avada Kedavra. A witch that works closely with me, Helen Gopshawk, has received intel that there is a spell of similar wording that mimics death, but does not kill the victim."

"Like a decoy spell?" Asked Bill.

"Exactly like a decoy spell!" Replied Kingsley. "It is a spell that is used when one would like others to think that their victim is dead but in fact they are not." There were lots of questions being asked at one time. Kingsley held up his hand. "Helen can answer all of your questions much better than I can. I now ask all of you for your permission to bring her into the Order. I feel she would be of great help and I can ensure you that she is completely trustworthy." There were murmurs of agreement around the room. "Very well," said Kingsley. "I shall return with her momentarily." The remaining order members sat in silence while they waited for their new guest, still stunned at what they had just heard from their Minister.

 **Hermione Granger - Present Day**

 **October 9, 1999**

Hermione's head was spinning. How was Grindelwald alive? What mysterious spell was used? How were they tailing Pius without him knowing? How did Pius come to meet Grindelwald? She had so many questions! It wasn't long before Kingsley arrived with Helen. Hermione watched Harry immediately walk up to her and pull out his wand. There was a process when someone entered the Order. Charms and jinxes were placed so that should the individual ever betray the Order, not only would the Order be notified, but the betrayer's tongue would be glued to the roof of their mouths so that they could not speak about the Order to anyone. It was a similar jinx to what Hermione had casted when trying to protect Dumbledore's Army in her fifth year.

"Hello, everyone!" Helen said, once all the formalities and introductions were complete. "Kingsley told me where he left off, so I guess I'll get right to it. The spell that we believe was used against Grindelwald is a very old one. In fact, it hasn't been seen since the 1800's. Long before that, though, there was a wizard by the name of Serenus Sammonicus who we believe was the first wizard to ever use the spell. It was a spell very popular among the muggles who of course thought it was simply a magic trick. Serenus would use it among them to bring fame and money to his name. He simply would make these muggles look dead then wake them up again, much to the pleasure of the muggle viewers."

"So what happened to the spell?" asked Charlie.

"Well it died out, just like many spells do," replied Helen. "I'm sure you can see the confusion it may have caused. People were being buried alive! The spell removes any trace of life, including a heartbeat, but the victim is not dead. There is no real history of the spell, except that it resurfaced in the 1800's and then died out again when petrificus totalus surfaced and became the spell of choice."

"So why wouldn't You-Know-Who kill Grindelwald? Why would he use this spell?" asked Ron.

"Well, we don't know, nor will we ever, I think, find out why You-Know-Who wouldn't kill him, but.." Helen glanced at Kingsley, who nodded. "We believe certain Death Eaters used it too, probably taught to them by You-Know-Who. We think that the good Death Eaters used it over using avada kedavra, in the hopes that someone would reverse the effects."

"I'm sorry, ze good Death Eaters?" asked Fleur.

"There were some Death Eaters that were forced to do Voldemort's bidding," Harry answered. "They didn't want to kill, but they were forced to."

"Right," said Helen. "And if they had another way instead of Avada Kedavra, we believe they would have used it."

"What is this spell?" Asked Percy.

"It's pronounced Abracadabra," answered Helen.

Hermione raised her eyebrows. "The muggle spell that magicians use?"

"That's exactly it," answered Helen. "And you can see how similar it is to Avada Kedavra. It would be hard for someone standing nearby to notice the difference."

"If it's a muggle spell, how come muggles aren't piling up unconscious everywhere?" Asked Ron.

"You need to have a real wand and know how to use magic in order for the spell to be successful," Helen answered. "Which is why wizards like Serenus were so popular. Because they were really wizards, they could perform the spell correctly, to the amusement of muggles."

Hermione still had so many questions, but before she could ask any of them, George spoke up. "Is it possible that many of ours that fought in the battle of Hogwarts are alive and just unconscious?" Nobody responded right away, they all knew what George was asking.

Hesitantly, Kingsley finally replied. "It is very rare that the spell is used over Avada Kedavra, especially because there really weren't too many good Death Eaters, but yes, it is possible." It was silent for a long time while everyone processed the information.

"We need a plan," Harry finally spoke.

Kingsley nodded. "I assumed you would have one, Mr. Potter."

"Well, there is a lot of information here, and plenty of different things that need to be done."

"The Grindelwald lead must be priority!" Minerva said.

"I agree," said Harry. "Kingsley, you and Helen must look into that further."

"We don't know where he could be at this point, but we checked Nurmengard and it's empty," said Helen.

"I can help too," provided Charlie. "I travel all over the place working with Dragons." Kingsley nodded.

"Great," said Harry. "And you'll keep your watch on Pius?"

"Absolutely," responded Kingsley.

"And the victims of this spell?" Asked George.

"Well, we can't go aroun' diggin' up graves!" Said Hagrid.

"Hagrid's right. What we need is an insider, someone with more information." Harry looked around the room until Ron spoke up.

"Hermione dated a Death Eater, I'm sure she could talk to him, can't you, Hermione?" How dare he, Hermione thought. Ron had some nerve!

"Well, Ms. Granger?" Asked Kingsley. "Are you able to talk to Mr. Malfoy?" How could Hermione say no to the Minister?

"I- alright, but how?"

"Gently," Kingsley responded. "He must not know what we know." Hermione nodded.

"Kingsley, I remember the time of Grindelwald," started Minerva. "If he is back, if we are to take him down, we need more!"

"We can't just let anyone in here," said Harry. "But I've been meaning to recruit Neville and Luna, they were great allies on more than one occasion."

"We should recruit them then," answered Kingsley. "I shall speak to Horace and Pomona," said Minerva.

"And leave it at that for now, I think. We should meet again in a few days. Will you have an update by then, Helen?" asked Harry.

"Our sources say Pius is planning on heading out of town. We will follow him and report back."

"Great, and Hermione?"

Hermione frowned but knew there was nothing she could do. "I'll talk to Draco."

"Alright, stay on guard everyone else. We shall meet back in one week's time."

 **Hermione Granger - The Past**

 **September 28, 1998**

"I'm sorry Ron, but I can't do that." Ron turned around and slammed the boys' dormitory door. Hermione was enraged. She stormed out of the common room and sent a message with her galleon to Draco.

 _Meet me in the grounds again._

She needed to vent and so she turned to her new friend. That's all Draco was to her, her friend. Ron was such a jealous person so full of hate that he could not wrap his thick head around the fact that they were just friends! Having found no cure to the memory charm that Hermione placed on her parents, she hadn't seen them since the end of her sixth year. The only consolation she had was that they were happy in Australia. Draco's father got sent to Azkaban for life. He not only lost his father, but he had to deal with the knowledge of knowing that his father would be miserable for the rest of his life. Regardless of what Lucius Malfoy did, he was still Draco's father and he was torn up about it. Losing her parents gave her something in common with Draco and they both were able to use a shoulder to lean on. Hermione walked towards the trees by the forbidden forest, where Draco was waiting for her.

"I am so angry!" she yelled.

"What happened?"

"It's Ron! He is so jealous I cannot stand it!"

"Jealous of what?" asked Draco.

"Of us! Does he honestly believe something would ever happen between us? Like come on!" Draco said nothing but allowed Hermione to vent. "I'm sorry that he comes from a perfect family with no problems and no worries and he has the ability to see them whenever he wants! It doesn't work like that for me, or for you, or for Harry! But I'm allowed to talk to Harry. Why? Because he isn't a Slytherin? He is such a hypocrite!"

Draco studied Hermione. "If he drives you crazy so much, why do you stay with him?"

"Because he's my boyfriend!"

"That's a dumb reason. You're supposed to say because you love him or something, but because he's your boyfriend? So change that. Make him not your boyfriend." Hermione stopped for a moment. She did love Ron, so why hadn't she said that? "You know what I think?" Draco went on. "I think you're only with him because there was some chemistry and you decided to try it out. I think that if the right person came around you would leave him."

"I think you need to mind your own business Draco!" Hermione spat.

"Oh come on, Hermione, Krum showed interest, you went to the ball with him. Weasley took interest, you started dating him. I bet if I showed interest, you would start dating me too!"

"I would not!" Hermione argued.

Draco chuckled. "You just need to find the right man, then you won't be arguing with someone everyday."

"Oh and you think the right man is just going to walk right up to me is he?"

"If you give him a chance he will."

"Oh sure," said Hermione. "I'll just stand here in the middle of the night and wait for my Charming Merlin to come flying in and sweep me off my feet!" At that moment, Draco leaned in and kissed her. Hermione was shocked. How did that happen? Why did she let him? Why did she return the kiss?

"Maybe he won't sweep you off your feet, but he will catch you off guard." Draco whispered. Hermione looked into his eyes. A part of her wanted to kiss him again. A part of her wanted to slap him. Before she could decide, she glanced up at the Dark castle and noticed that there was only one window lit up. That window looked awfully close to the position of the Gryffindor's boy's dormitories.


	4. The Attempt

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Four: The Attempt**

 **Ginny Weasley - Present Day**

 **October 10, 1999**

Ginny roamed the halls, vigorously looking for Harry. Saturday night, after the order meeting, only Mum and Dad apparated back to the Burrow and refused to tell Ginny anything that had happened. She messaged Harry the minute she returned to Hogwarts but never received a response. It was now Sunday, mid-afternoon, and Harry still had not replied.

"He cannot keep avoiding me!" Ginny said to herself aloud and angrily. "I will find you Potter!" Ginny barged into the Great Hall and nearly collided with Luna Lovegood. "Luna, have you seen Harry?"

"Oh, hello, Ginny!" replied Luna dreamily. "Yes, I was just with him actually, but then he said he was going to go find Neville."

"Where were you guys?" Ginny asked, hoping Harry would still be in the area.

"Moaning Myrtle's toilets. We needed privacy, of course."

"Privacy for what?" Luna looked down at her feet unwilling to reply. At first, Ginny was confused, but then it dawned on her.

"He's inducted you into the Order, hasn't he? And now he's doing the same with Neville!" Luna smiled but didn't reply. Ginny turned on her heal and ran out of the Great Hall. Now she _really_ needed to find Harry. How dare he induct Luna and Neville and not her! She ran into Hermione in the library. "Hermione!" Ginny said angrily. "You guys inducted Luna and Neville, but not me?"

"Shh, quiet, Ginny!" Whispered Hermione, looking around.

"What was that meeting about?" Ginny asked more quietly. "I'm afraid I can't tell you, Ginny, not until you're actually in."

"So put me in!"

"It's not my decision to make."

"Where is Harry?" demanded Ginny.

"I really don't know, Ginny, I'm sorry."

Ginny stormed out of the library and headed towards the owlery. "Harry Potter, don't move!" she yelled. Harry was standing at the back of the owlery, looking out into the grounds.

"How did you find me here?" Harry asked her.

"Because I know you don't come here anymore and since you are avoiding me, I thought to look in places that you don't visit." Harry said nothing. "Why are you avoiding me?" Ginny asked.

Harry sighed. "You know why, Ginny, I can't tell you what happened and I can't induct you into the Order."

"And why the bloody hell not?" Ginny asked, her blood boiling.

Harry seemed to have had his response rehearsed. "The Order made a decision to put a stop on inducting people for now. Once it opens up again, I'll mention you."

"You really think I'm going to accept that answer Harry? The decision was made right after you elected Luna and Neville? Why wasn't my name said then, too?"

"Ginny.." Harry sighed but Ginny was not letting down. "It's dangerous Ginny," Harry started. "I don't want anything to happen to you."

"Don't give me that garbage Harry Potter! I was there at the Ministry, I was here at the castle during the battle, I can handle myself! You can't always protect me, if there's a threat out there I should know about it. Inducting me into the Order _is_ protecting me!"

"Ginny, I'm sorry, this is how it is at the moment. You understood before, you need to understand now."

"You broke up with me the last time, Harry, are you going to do that again?" Harry didn't respond, but instead turned and walked out of the owlery. Ginny was beyond furious. If Harry was going to start treating her like this, then she would start showing Harry a side of her that he did not want to see.

 **Draco Malfoy - Present Day**

 **October 11, 1999**

 _Meet me on the grounds near the forbidden forest at 3 o'clock._

Draco reread the message over and over. Why did Hermione want to see him now? He was not disappointed at all, but he had tried on several occasions to talk to her and she had refused. What had caused her to change her mind all of a sudden? He stood at the edge of the forest, waiting. A little after three, he saw Hermione approaching him. Goodness, she was beautiful. What a stupid decision he had made that day at his Mother's mansion, how he wished he could take it all back. But he was a Malfoy, a pureblood Malfoy at that, and nothing could change that. "Hello, Hermione," he said casually.

"Hi Draco, thank you for meeting me." Draco nodded. Hermione was hesitating; what was she up to? "Look, this is a one time meeting. You have your hearing coming up and you said you needed me, so here I am."

Draco started to walk away, "I don't need your charity, Granger."

She grabbed his arm, "wait, stop! Let me help you."

Draco considered her offer. "Why?"

Hermione lowered her eyes, "I cared about you at one point."

Draco's heart skipped a beat, "and now?"

Hermione responded so low that Draco had to lean in closer to hear her, "I will never forgive you, but I still care."

That was enough for Draco. "Okay, let's talk about the hearing."

Hermione nodded, "are you prepared?"

Draco shrugged, "nothing has really changed. I'm going to say the same things I said last time."

"What if they ask you new questions? Shall we do a test run?" Draco nodded, it couldn't hurt. "Okay, did you attend any meetings with Voldemort?"

Draco considered his answer, "not one on one or anything, but sometimes he would gather all of us and talk."

"About what?"

"Usually Potter. He was obsessed with killing him."

"Did he tell you what spell to use?"

Draco looked puzzled, "no, I'm pretty sure he thought us all capable of knowing the words for Avada Kedavra. But none of us were allowed to kill Potter, anyway, he had to be the one to do it."

"So he never told you guys about any spells?"

Draco looked confused. "What, no? What kind of questions are these?" Reality seemed to dawn on Draco, "you aren't helping me, you're helping yourself!"

"What? No, I'm helping you Draco!" but Draco got angry.

"I should have known, you wouldn't just come help me after all this time. You're trying to get information for that stupid Dobwig Association. Well I don't know anything so leave me alone." Draco walked away. He heard Hermione calling him back, but he ignored her. It hurt him that she wasn't really interested in helping and was just using him. He knew he probably deserved it, but it bothered him to know that she would treat him that way. He missed how things used to be.

 **Harry Potter - Present Day**

 **October 11, 1999**

Harry stared around at the members of the Order of the Pheonix. They were all gathered at number 12 Grimmauld Place and had just witnessed Harry induct Luna Lovegood, Neville Longbottom, Pomona Sprout, and Horace Slughorn. Everyone seemed to be waiting for Harry to speak. He wasn't the leader of the Order (there was no leader really), but everyone seemed to look at him to lead and he wished they hadn't. He would prefer to give that title to Kingsley. He cleared his throat, "okay, I guess we need updates. Helen?"

"Our people tracked Pius all the way to Paris, then lost him for two days. He returned, however, the third day."

"Okay, so if he is with Grindelwald, then I think it's safe to assume that Grindelwald is hiding somewhere in Paris, or at least near it," Harry said. Helen nodded. "You got anything Hermione?"

Hermione looked up, "not much, only that Voldemort did not teach them any spells."

"Just because the spell was not taught by You-Know-Who, doesn't mean it wasn't used," said George.

"I agree with you, George," said Kingsley. "We cannot rule out the possibility that the spell was used."

"So how do we test the theory?" Asked Arthur. It was quiet for a very long time. Finally, Harry spoke.

"We need to rule out the deaths that could not have survived regardless. Dumbledore fell from a tower, so even if Snape had somehow used it, the fall itself would have killed him." Painfully, they all started to discuss the deaths of their dear friends, in the hopes of naming a few that could potentially be saved.

"Fred?" Asked George. Molly Wesley burst into tears.

"I was there, George," Percy said in barely a whisper. "It was an explosion that took Freddie, not a spell." The entire Weasley family lowered their heads. The death of Fred had been the most painful loss for them and hearing of a possibility that he was alive had been the only thing they had left to hold on to. Now, all hope was lost and they began to mourn Fred again. After several long moments, Andromeda looked up at the Minister.

"Kingsley, my Nymphadora, and her husband?"

"Did anyone witness their deaths?" Kingsley asked the room. Everyone shook their heads. Minerva hesitated before speaking.

"They are buried in the Lupin vault, they would be the easiest.."

Andromeda nearly fell. "I could not bare to see her if.. if.."

"We shall visit Remus first, Andromeda," said Kingsley kindly. "And you shall be at home with Teddy." Andromeda nodded gratefully.

"And what do we do once we are there?" Asked Ron, "do we know the counter spell?"

"As far as we know it's simply the same spell backwards," answered Helen.

"How accurate is that information?" Asked Hermione.

"About as accurate as everything else we know, as it's all the same source. Best way to find out is to try it out."

"We should be certain before we even consider visiting graves," Hestia said. Everyone murmured in agreement.

"Let's test it out on one of us then, I'll volunteer," said Neville. "

No!" Harry, Minerva, and Molly all said at once.

"It needs to be tested," argued Neville, "and this is the only way!"

"It does need to be tested," agreed Pomona, "but not by you. I shall step forward instead."

"You're a teacher!" Neville stated, "you're needed!"

"And you're a student!" Retaliated Pomona, "you are needed in school much more!" The two of them continued to bicker until George stepped forward and intervened.

"Neither of you will be tested on," he said sternly, "it will be me."

"No!" Shouted Mrs. Weasley.

"This isn't your decision, Mum! Ever since I lost Freddie I've felt empty, meaningless. If I could do something that can potentially save people, I need to try. I know I can't save Fred, but there are others."

"George, you may not wake! This isn't guaranteed!"

"Then I'll be with Fred! What could be better than that?"

Molly was sobbing. "Your shop, George!" She cried, saying whatever she could to stop George from doing this.

"My shop will survive without me. Ron can take care of it, can't you Ron?"

"I won't need to mate," he said quietly, "you're coming back." George nodded.

"George, I said no!" Molly started to yell, but Arthur put a hand on her arm to silence her and looked up at his son.

"You sure about this George?" He asked him.

"I am, father," George replied confidently.

"Okay then," said Arthur, "but you wake up, George, I am not losing another son." Harry watched Arthur embrace his son. He wished there was another way, but he knew that the best chance for the Order was for this theory to be tested. George was then hugged by a sobbing Mrs. Weasley.

"It will be fine, Mum, relax." The room was incredibly quiet as George went around the room and embraced his siblings. Then he approached Harry. "If this goes sour, Harry, tell Ginny I love her."

"I will," said Harry, never hearing George speak so seriously before.

"And take care of Mum, she'll need it." Harry nodded but said nothing. He was allowing George to go through with this, but like Mrs. Weasley, he didn't approve. He would much rather have them test him but knew nobody would allow it. "Alright," said George, laying down on the couch. "Let's do this!"

Helen approached him with her wand raised, "see you in five minutes George. Abracadabra!" Instantly, George fell still. Mrs. Weasley started sobbing even harder.

"It's okay, Mum," Charlie put an arm around his mother. "He's asleep, he will wake up shortly." The rest of the order hurriedly took notes so that they could wake George as soon as possible.

"He looks dead, there's no life in him," Hermione said as she attempted to feel for a pulse.

"It definitely would mimic the killing curse," said Harry, "I'm curious to hear what George says it feels like. Could he hear us or is he sleeping?"

"We won't know until we wake him up," said Luna.

"Let's do it then," said Harry, feeling uncomfortable seeing George that way. Kingsley nodded to Helen and she stepped forward, wand raised at George again.

"Arbadacarba!" she said. They all stared at George waiting for him to stir, but George laid there motionless. He did not wake.

 **Hermione Granger - The Past**

 **August 13, 1998**

Hermione had never been so busy in her life. Another twenty-two cases were handed to her today and she already had a large pile that she had yet to go through. They knew there would be consequences when outing the wizarding world, but Hermione was getting overwhelmed. It was her job along with the Minister of Magic to conduct a trial for any witch or wizard who harmed a muggle. Some awful witches and wizards thought it was okay to use magic on muggles now that the secret was out. Hermione sighed at the thought, but she knew that outing the secret had done more good than bad. There would never be a perfect world, she reminded herself; Wrong-doers would always exist. She grabbed the six files that were being heard for the day and headed down to the courtrooms. Harry and the Minister should be finishing up their last Death Eater hearing of the day. As she approached the court room, she heard someone call out to her. "Granger!"

"Who's there?" Hermione responded. She watched Draco Malfoy appear out of the shadows. "What are you doing here, Malfoy?" she asked coolly.

Malfoy hesitated before responding, "it's my father's trial. He's in there now."

"Oh," said Hermione. A part of her felt bad for Malfoy. There was a high possibility that he would never see his father again.

"Do you think, maybe, um.." Malfoy was finding it difficult to complete his sentence. Hermione had never seen him behave this way before.

"What is it?" She asked him.

Malfoy sighed. "Could you maybe help me find out what's going on?" He asked her.

"Oh," said Hermione again, stunned. Malfoy wanted her help? "Sorry, Malfoy, nobody is allowed in there.."

"Please!" Malfoy begged her, "I haven't seen my father since the war and if he loses, if they find him guilty.." Malfoy couldn't finish his sentence. Hermione wasn't sure why she felt sorry for him, but she did anyway.

"Follow me," she told him. She lead him through a side chamber that connected to the courtroom. "You cannot go inside," she warned him, "but the door is open a bit so you'll be able to see and hear."

"Granger, thanks," He said. Hermione nodded and walked back to the courtroom's main doors. She entered the trial and sat in the back quietly, just as Lucius Malfoy was rolling his sleeve up again.

"I have concluded my questioning, Minister," said Rubin Yaxley, "I find Mr. Malfoy guilty."

"Thank you, Mr. Yaxley," said Kingsley, "Mr. Potter?"

Hermione watched Harry frown. "I believe Mr. Malfoy to be guilty, however, I find his actions at the battle of Hogwarts to be innocent," Harry replied.

"Thank you, Mr. Potter." Kingsley turned to Lucius. "Most wizards with a record like yours are given the Dementor's Kiss; however, I too feel that your actions at the battle of Hogwarts were innocent. Therefore you will be spared the dementor's kiss, but are hereby sentenced to Azkaban prison to spend your remaining days." Well, it's what he deserves, Hermione thought to herself. She heard a noise towards the chamber on her left. Oh no, she thought, Malfoy! She quickly exited the courtroom and made her way back to the room where she had left Draco Malfoy hidden.

"Malfoy?" She called out as she entered the chamber. At first she thought he had left, but then she saw him huddled in the corner. "Malfoy?" She asked again. It was indeed Draco Malfoy, curled up in the corner. He was paler than usual, and most definitely in shock. "Oh, Malfoy!" She said. She immediately went to him and without realizing it, embraced him. Surprisingly, he hugged her back and laid his head on her shoulder.

"My father!" he said, disbelief in his voice.

"I know Malfoy, I know," she soothed. They stayed together for what seemed like forever.

Finally, Malfoy lifted his head. "You're being nice to me, after everything," he said to her.

"You just went through a terrible ordeal," she responded. "I know how you feel."

"Why?" Asked Malfoy, "where are your parents?"

"Maybe another time," Hermione answered, "I must go."

Malfoy nodded, "thanks, Granger, um.. Hermione."

Hermione jumped a little in surprise. "You're welcome, Mal- Draco." She turned and headed back to the courtroom. She sat in her designated seat and opened her briefcase to grab her files for today when her hand brushed up against something hot. She quickly glanced down at her galleon and saw a message from an unknown serial code.

 _Lunch tomorrow? We can discuss your parents_.

Smiling, Hermione replied,

 _Okay._

It seemed weird, her and Malfoy getting along like this, but oddly enough, it didn't feel wrong. Hermione put her galleon away and called upon her first client, all the while thinking about how this new friendship had come about.


	5. The Review Hearing

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Five: The Review Hearing**

 **Harry Potter - Present Day**

 **October 12, 1999**

Harry went back to his office for the fourth time to grab yet another file that he forgot. It was hard to focus on anything except George. It was the day after they tried out the new spell and George still hadn't awoken. Since the Order was a secret however, Harry along with the rest of the Order members had to go on as if nothing was wrong. George currently laid in an empty room at number 12 Grimmauld Place away from everyone, until the Order could find a solution. Harry made to head down to the courtrooms again when he ran into Kingsley at the lifts.

"Mr. Potter," said Kingsley. "I was just heading to your office. A word, if you please, before we head down to the courtrooms."

"Of course, Minister." Harry lead the way back to his office. They entered the empty room and closed the door. "Is everything alright? Has he woken up?" Harry asked frantically.

"I'm afraid not, Harry," replied Kingsley, "but I'm here to talk about today's trial actually."

"Oh," Harry was confused. Why would the Minister want a private word about a routine trial?

"Today is young Mr. Malfoy's review," Kingsley started. "And I'm concerned about letting him go." Harry said nothing but instead waited to see where Kingsley was going with this. "Draco, Narcissa, and Pius are the only three known Death Eaters that we let off, and with Grindelwald back, I'm not sure that was our finest idea. We need to protect the world from people like Grindelwald, not give him allies!"

"But Draco isn't working with him," Harry said. He wasn't sure how he knew this, but he was confident that he was right.

"Harry, we cannot have another war on our hands!"

"And with all due respect, Minister, but we need to keep what we know a secret! Convicting Draco with absolutely no grounds will only signal red flags that we are up to something!" Kingsley opened his mouth to reply, but at that exact moment Harry's office door swung opened and there stood Rubin Yaxley.

"Hello, Minister, I came to see if Potter was ready for the trial. Am I interrupting something?" he asked, looking suspiciously between Harry and Kingsley.

"Not at all, Rubin, I simply came to ask Mr. Potter's opinion on re-trying Narcissa Malfoy."

Rubin looked bewildered. "Narcissa? Whatever for?"

"To ensure we were thorough enough, is all," replied Kingsley.

"Surely if anyone is to be re-tried it would be Thicknesse!" Stated Rubin firmly.

Harry did not like where this conversation was headed. "We should go, we are going to be late." The other two gentlemen nodded in agreement and together they made their way down to the courtrooms. Harry was concerned about what Kingsley might do. His thoughts were far from the trial at the moment; He barely heard introductions or Yaxley's first sets of questions. He surveyed Draco intently. Surely him and his Mother had nothing to do with Grindelwald, but if Voldemort had in fact used the abracadabra spell on him, was there a chance the Malfoy's knew? And how did Grindelwald wake up?

"Mr. Potter," Yaxley turned to Harry.

Harry jumped. "Yes?"

"Your report? Is it ready?" he asked impatiently.

Harry grabbed his files. "Of course," he said. "It appears that Mr. Malfoy complied with all regulations and restrictions placed on him. He removed the Dark Mark, stayed in school, received more OWLs and NEWTs, and attended all Dobwig meetings."

Yaxley nodded. "That concludes my questioning, Minister," Yaxley said turning to Kingsley. "It is in my opinion that Mr. Malfoy should be let -"

"I have a few questions of my own first Mr. Yaxley," Kingsley interrupted. Yaxley looked surprised, the Minister has never asked questions in a trial before. Harry was concerned; what was he to do? "Mr. Malfoy, what good have you done since your last trial?" Kingsley asked Draco.

"What?" asked Draco, looking confused.

"Since your last hearing," the Minister repeated, "what have you done to benefit the wizarding world?"

Draco paused. "I did everything I was told to do."

"That doesn't answer my question, Mr. Malfoy. Following orders is an easy task, what proof is there that you have changed?"

Draco looked stunned. "I was never one of them, I've always been a good guy!"

"What is the guarantee, Mr. Malfoy, that if another dark wizard should come to power, that you would not join him?" Harry needed to stop this, he did not like where it was headed.

"You have my word!" said Draco, sounding desperate.

"The word of someone known to have been in league with He Who Must Not Be Named is not good enough!" Kingsley said defiantly.

"Minister!" Harry interjected. "A word, if you please?"

"After the hearing, Mr. Potter," Kingsley said without looking at Harry. He continued to address Draco. "I am not confident that you would select the correct side should the situation arise." At that moment, Hermione walked into the courtroom. Good, thought Harry, she would put a stop to this! Even Yaxley thought Kingsley was going too far. Harry watched him lean in to the Minister.

"Uh, Minister, surely you don't mean to send this boy to Azkaban? Now?!"

"It is our job, Mr. Yaxley, to protect all witches and wizards alike from any evil doers. I have not seen Mr. Malfoy portray any actions that prove he is truly good. As such, it is my decision to have this young man under watch at all times!"

 **Hermione Granger - Present Day**

 **October 12, 1999**

Had she heard correctly? Kingsley was sending Draco to Azkaban? Hermione had made the decision to attend Draco's hearing to show him support. After their last conversation, she felt bad and had the need to show Draco that she truly did care, despite everything he had done to her. She assumed it would be a routine follow up, but clearly she was mistaken.

"Minister," Harry stood up. "Hermione Granger is also part of the Dobwig Association and is in charge of dealing with wizards who harm muggles. Surely if Draco is a dark wizard, she should question him as well?" Her? What could she possibly do in this situation?

Kingsley looked angry. "Ms. Granger is not a council member of this trial, Mr. Potter. Surely if the Dobwig Association has any questions, you have the ability to ask them." Hermione watched Harry freeze. Kingsley seemed to be content with the trial. "It seems as though everything is in order, then," he said to Draco. "Draco Malfoy, I hearby sentence you to-"

"Be under a watchful eye at all times!" Hermione interjected.

"Excuse me, Ms. Granger?" Kingsley looked mortified that Hermione had interrupted him but she didn't care; Draco did not deserve to go to Azkaban.

"You said he needed to be under watch at all times, well I volunteer! As a member of the Dobwig association, I volunteer to watch Mr. Malfoy at all times!"

"I vote yes!" Harry said quickly, with a huge disregard to proper trial procedure. Hermione watched Harry turn to Yaxley. "Mr. Yaxley?"

"If the Minister feels that this man needs to be under watch, and Ms. Granger agrees to do it, then I think it should be allowed as well."

"I think that settles it then, Minister," Harry said.

Kingsley looked enraged; Hermione didn't think he has ever been defied before. "This is preposterous! Ms. Granger cannot possibly follow him at every moment, he sleeps in separate quarters and uses a different gender toilet! No, the only place for this man is-"

"I'll swear to it!" Hermione shouted. She feared she was crossing a line but she just had to save Draco! "He shall be with me at every moment, except for when he is in his Slytherin common room. We will charm the common room so that he does not have in or out privileges unless approved by me. There he can sleep, use the toilets, and stay put when I physically cannot be with him. I will attend his classes with him and he will go wherever I go, or he will stay confined to his common room." Hermione knew she was not getting through to the Minister. She started to plead desperately. "I swear it I'll watch him, I'll take full responsibility of all of his actions, I'll.. I'll.. I'll make the Unbreakable Vow!" Kingsley's look changed to shock.

"Hermione," she heard Draco whisper behind her, but she ignored him.

"I swear it, Minister, I'll make the Vow, right here, right now!"

"Minister, if she is willing to make the vow, then let it happen." Yaxley stated. "Surely he needs to be out in order to prove himself, and like this he will still be supervised, as you wish." Hermione watched Kingsley's face grow darker with rage, but she knew she had won the battle. The Minister could not say no to this.

"Very well, Ms. Granger. You are hereby responsible for Draco Malfoy. The only time he will be allowed out of your sight is when he is in the Slytherin common room. He may not even use a toilet without your watch unless it is within his common room. Both of you step forward, I shall conduct the unbreakable vow." Hermione and Draco stepped forward. Draco was trying to catch her eye but she would not make eye contact with him at the moment. She took a deep breath and grabbed Draco's arm. The Minister of Magic completed the Unbreakable Vow fairly quickly, and Hermione backed away from Draco once it was done. "We shall re-visit this matter in five months' time," Kingsley commenced again. "Ms. Granger, you know your responsibilities and consequences of what you have just done. Should this oath be broken, it shall take your life."

"I understand, Minister," Hermione said quietly.

"Also, should anything go wrong and Mr. Malfoy does anything unacceptable while under your watch, both you and Mr. Malfoy shall be sent to Azkaban permanently, and a trial will be conducted to determine if the dementor's kiss should be performed on either of you." Hermione's stomach dropped. Surely he couldn't be serious? "Oh, and Mr. Malfoy," Kingsley said, "turn in your wand; you are no longer permitted to carry it."

 **Ron Weasley - Present Day**

 **October 15, 1999**

Ron sat at the kitchen table at The Burrow, waiting. He had just returned from seeing Jessica, the muggle he had met a short while ago. He wasn't sure what made him go see her; Perhaps what happened to George was too much to bare and so he needed to get away for a while. He enjoyed spending time with her, particularly because she knew nothing of the wizarding world, and therefore, things were always so easy. Although he never physically did anything with her, guilt always built up when he thought of Essa. This time was different, though. Essa never crossed his mind once, and this time, he had kissed Jessica. The worst part was that he didn't feel bad. He knew right from wrong, however, and so the moment he left, he messaged Essa and asked her to meet him at The Burrow; It was about time he ended things with her. He chose to meet at the Burrow because he knew nobody would be there. Everyone was either at work, doing work for the Order, or otherwise at Grimmauld Place with George. Ron couldn't stand to be near George at the moment. His lifeless body brought back horrible memories of Fred and he could not bare to lose another brother. A rustling noise made him look up.

"Essa?" He called out.

"Sorry, mate, it's just me," came his brother Charlie's voice. "Didn't expect to find anyone here, just stopped to use the toilet before I headed back to Romania."

"Have you heard anything?" Ron asked urgently.

"Anyone here?" Charlie asked skeptically. Ron shook his head. "I'm afraid I don't have much to say regardless, little brother," Charlie said sadly. "I went to Nurmengard, but it's as Helen had said. Empty. We couldn't find a single clue to help us find the counter spell or to indicate what happened when You-Know-Who had visited there."

"Nobody knows anything?" Ron asked.

Charlie shrugged. "The main guard is a bit of a troll, if you ask me. Bloody idiot. Doesn't know how the grave was manipulated. Said it looks the same now as it did prior."

"There's no body in it!" Ron said.

"Yeah, well, like I said, bloody idiot."

"Git! There's got to be something!" Ron said frustrated. "We can't just sit around and do nothing!"

"Nobody is sitting around mate," said Charlie. "Helen is pulling all of her strings; she'll find something. If not her, then Hermione will, she's almost read every book at the Ministry! Pomona is also maturing her mandrakes and is going to try that too. Nobody is going to let this go!"

"And Pius?" Ron asked angrily, trying to take his mind off of George.

"Still being tagged, still ditching the tail at the same spot."

"Ridiculous," Ron mumbled, more to himself.

"I asked Harry about using the Imperius Curse on Pius," Charlie started. "He shut it down immediately. Said we can't start using their tactics or we'll be just like them." Ron shook his head. Leave it to Harry to think like that, it wasn't _his_ brother laying there.

"What about Veritaserum, then?" Ron asked.

"Pius would never agree; he would rather go to Azkaban."

"Then lock him up in Azkaban!" shouted Ron.

"Then we would have nothing!" Charlie replied. He placed his hand on Ron's shoulder. "He's my brother too, mate, we will figure this out." Ron said nothing. "You need to get to the store, Bill has been taking care of it, but he needs to get back to Gringotts soon."

Ron nodded. "Okay." There was nothing more he could say. Charlie got up and walked to the door. He opened his mouth to say something encouraging to his brother but closed it again. The truth was that all of the Weasley's were terrified that they were going to have to mourn another brother.

 **Ron Weasley - The Past**

 **October 24, 1998**

Ron sat on the ground and started picking the grass in front of him. He hated coming to Bill and Fleur's stupid parties. He never understood the point of parties if nothing was being celebrated, and lately it seemed like Bill and Fleur had one every month. Just two hours, he thought to himself, then it would be an acceptable amount of time to leave. He thought he would pass the time with Harry, but Harry was too immersed in Ginny. Ron didn't think he would ever get used to that.

"Hey, it's Ron, right?" Ron looked up and saw one of Fleur's cousins standing over him. What was her name again? Emma?

"Yeah," he responded.

"I'm Essa Delacour, Fleur's cousin. We met at the wedding." Ron just gave her the thumbs up, as he was in no mood to entertain. "Where's your girlfriend?" She asked him.

"Who?" he asked, puzzled.

"Hermione, wasn't that her name?"

"No," Ron said coldly.

"Yeah, it was! I remember it being such a distinct name!"

"I mean she's not my girlfriend," Ron said bitterly.

"Oh, but she was at the wedding. That sucks."

"Seriously? Are you done?" Ron asked her. He got up to leave.

"Oh no, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that!" Ron walked away from her. He looked around and spotted the table with the firewhisky. He sat down and helped himself to a glass. "Uh, Ron?"

"Bloody Hell, Esther, what do you want?"

"It's Essa, actually, and I just wanted to let you know that your non-girlfriend Hermione is here." Ron spun around. Sure enough, there was Hermione standing next to Fleur. Ron cursed loudly, finished his firewhisky in one swallow, and got up to leave.

"Wait, where are you going?" Essa asked him.

"Away from here."

"Did she break up with you?" Essa asked, following him.

"You know, you really need to learn to mind your own business."

"Stop walking away Ron!" Essa stood right in front of him. "If she broke up with you then don't leave, it let's her know she's won; it's affecting you!"

Ron stood motionless. "I broke up with her."

"Even better!" Essa replied enthusiastically. "You left her so you obviously don't want to be with her, so why leave?"

Ron looked at his feet. "She cheated on me." He wasn't sure why he was telling her this.

Essa was quiet for a moment but then she smiled. "Come with me." She grabbed Ron's arm and dragged him to the middle of the gathering. "Dance with me!" she told him.

"Uh, what? No!"

Essa wouldn't take no for an answer. "Come on! It'll be your revenge! Look!" She nodded in Hermione's direction. Ron turned and saw Hermione watching them with a skeptical look. He instantly started dancing with Essa. He had never danced with Hermione other than at Bill and Fleur's wedding, no matter how many times she had tried. Maybe Essa had a point, it was nice to see Hermione hurt for once. "You're a good dancer!" Essa told him.

"No I'm not, I bloody well hate it!"

Essa giggled. "It doesn't look like it!" She twirled around him. "I think it's working, she looks upset!"

Ron frowned. "It doesn't change anything," he said.

"Well then, we have to do more! Let's see. What will get you out of this slump?"

"Her feeling what I felt," Ron responded angrily.

"That's easy, then!" Essa replied, and before Ron knew it, Essa was kissing him hard on the mouth in the middle of the gathering with many onlookers, including (to his pleasure) Hermione.

* * *

 **Author's notes:** I know we are just getting into it, but please don't hesitate to comment with a specific "past" request, or character's PoV!


	6. Another Fallen Weasley

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Six: Another Fallen Weasley**

 **Ginny Weasley - Present Day**

 **October 15, 1999**

Ginny searched Fred and George's old bedroom at The Burrow thoroughly, but she could not find what she was looking for. She knew that they had created temporary invisibility cloaks (they only lasted 30 minutes) but had assumed they wouldn't sell as the duration was so short and therefore gave up on the product. She was certain she would find one laying around their old room, however, but her search had come up empty. She started to head downstairs so she could apparate back to Hogwarts when she heard voices. She thought that The Burrow was empty; Everyone was at Grimmauld Place doing Order stuff (much to her displeasure). She made to take out her wand until she realized she was simply hearing the voices of two of her older brothers, Charlie and Ron. She continued to walk down the stairs until something she heard stopped her dead in her tracks.

"I went to Nurmengard, but it's as Helen had said, empty. We couldn't find a single clue to help us find the counter spell or to indicate what had happened when You-Know-Who had visited there," she heard Charlie say. Nurmengard? You-Know-Who as in Voldemort? This must be what the Order is dealing with! She sat down on the stairs quietly and continued to listen. So, they were interested in a grave at Nurmengard that was empty. What could be so significant about a prisoner's grave? Surely they cannot be referring to Voldemort; the Order had burned his body to ensure that there was no way he would resurrect again. She kept on listening, hoping for more clues.

"And Pius?" Ron asked angrily.

"Still being tagged, still ditching the tail at the same spot." So they were following someone named Pius. It must be the known Death Eater, Pius Thicknesse, Ginny thought to herself. She was making a mental note of everything she needed to do. Despite what Harry wanted, she was going to find out what was going on. She had attempted to go to Grimmauld Place, but new charms had been placed to keep her, and anyone else not in the Order, out. It sounded like her next plan was to go to Nurmengard. She wasn't sure how she would manage that or what she would be looking for, but she would worry about that later. Maybe she needed to tail Pius, too, whatever it took to get answers. Something she heard made her instantly lose her train of thought.

"He's my brother, too, mate, we will figure this out." Brother? What happened to her brother? Which one? She knew it couldn't have been Charlie or Ron since they were right there, and with Fred gone that only left Bill, Percy, or George. She decided to go to Diagon Alley immediately and talk to George as he would for sure tell her. She got up and quietly headed downstairs to sneak out the backdoor, when she heard Charlie mention that Ron needed to take care of the store. George's store. Oh no, what had happened to George? She hated thinking things like this, but she had to assume he was alive. They would not be talking the way the were if he were, well, if he was with Fred again. She stood outside in the backyard shaking. How dare her family and Harry keep something like this from her! This was her brother! Enough was enough, she was going to solve this if it was the last thing she did, and then she would deal with her boyfriend and the rest of her family.

 **Harry Potter - Present Day**

 **October 15, 1999**

"Arbadacarba!" Harry heard Helen say as he walked into the room where George was currently laying in. "Arbadacarba!" she said again.

"No luck, then?" Harry asked her. She shook her head.

"I thought it was in the wand movement, but I've tried every way I could think of. I even extracted the memory of when I put him under and then studied it in the Pensieve to see my arm motion and mimic it, but I was still unsuccessful."

"Has anything else been tried?"

"Pomona tried with the mandrakes, but it didn't work," Helen answered.

"So, we know for sure that he isn't petrified," stated Harry. "And for sure he's not-?"

"No, Harry, we are positive that he isn't dead. His body would have shown signs of death by now. Decay and odor. He's perfectly intact, just no heartbeat or breath. It's as if he's frozen."

Harry thought hard. "So all of our allies at the battle, that's how we'll know? We have to dig up every grave and see if they've decayed or not?"

"I'm afraid so, Harry." Harry frowned. The thought of digging up his friends' graves was too much to bear. Knowing that some of them have been buried alive, just laying there... "We need to wake George up!"

"We are trying everything we can, Hermione is supposed to come by today with some books that she thinks might help."

Harry nodded. "Keep me informed, then, please." He left the room and headed downstairs to the kitchen.

"Ah, there you are, Potter. A word, if you please." Harry was used to seeing different Order members about the house, but he was surprised to see Professor McGonagall, particularly during class hours.

"Why aren't you at Hogwarts, Professor?" Harry wondered.

"I should ask you the same thing. You still have studying to do, and I do not recall you receiving your NEWT in Transfiguration yet!"

Harry shook his head. "I don't have time for that right now."

"Well you best make time, Potter. Nobody can know what is going on. By you not attending your classes is a sure sign to anyone looking that you are up to something."

Harry knew better than to argue with her. "I'll show up tomorrow," he promised her.

"Very good. Now, the school Governors have informed me that it is the wishes of the students to have another Yule Ball."

"We aren't doing the Triwizard Tournament again?" Harry asked her, concerned.

"Not whilst I am Headmistress! I am told, however, that I do need to allow this Ball to take place."

"You're the Headmistress, you can say no!"

"Potter, as Headmistress, it is my responsibility to listen to the Governors. And what reason would I have to say no?" She asked him.

"Look at everything that's going on!" Harry nearly shouted.

"And you intend on telling them? Because surely you don't expect _me_ to?"

Harry didn't respond. There was so much going on that he often forgot that the rest of the wizarding community continued on as normal. "Right, Professor, sorry. So what did you need me for?"

"Well I expect you to be there, Mr. Potter, along with Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley."

"What? No! Professor, come on!"

"It isn't up for debate, Mr. Potter. It shall be announced to the school shortly. I don't think you need reminding of the importance of keeping the Order activities quiet." She walked out of the room and Harry hung his head. A Ball on top of everything else, how much more could he handle?

 **Ron Weasley - Present Day**

 **October 15, 1999**

Ron watched Essa stare into his eyes. She knew, he thought to himself. He cleared his throat and tried to explain.

"See, school's getting really busy, and the Ministry is time consuming, and I promised George I would help with the shop. There really is no time for anything else." Essa continued to stare at him. "So I guess what I'm trying to say..."

"You're breaking up with me," she finally spoke.

Ron put his hands in his pockets. "Kind of, yeah."

"Why?"

Ron looked bewildered. "I thought I just explained?"

"I have school, too, I have extracurriculars, I'm often abroad, visiting my parents. I'm probably much busier than you are, but I'm not leaving you, so why? What's the real reason?" Essa was relatively calm, which bothered Ron. It would have been easier if she were upset.

"Er, long distance relationships don't work, um.."

"Who is she?" Essa suddenly asked.

"Who is who?"

"The girl you're leaving me for?"

Ron was stunned. She knew, but how? "There's nobody!"

The tears started to build in Essa's eyes but she was strong and she held them back. "Ron, please don't insult me anymore than you already are. Just tell me the truth, there's someone else, isn't there? You've been cheating on me." Ron was quiet for a short while. "Answer me, Ron!" Essa yelled.

"I've never cheated on you," Ron lied. He couldn't hurt her anymore than he already was. "But," he took a deep breath and continued. "There's someone else, yeah." Essa couldn't keep back the tears now. Ron looked away, he felt terrible.

"Thank you for your honesty," Essa finally whispered. "Goodbye, Ron." She was through the door before Ron could say anything else. He had never felt so horrible in his life. He loved her, there was no denying that, and seeing her so hurt was painful, but with Essa came so much pressure and work. He closed his eyes and thought of Jessica. Easy. He needed easy. With George and the Order and Grindelwald, he only had time for easy right now. With slight guilt, he walked towards the apparition point just beyond The Burrow and headed towards Jessica's house.

 **Hermione Granger - The Past**

 **September 12, 1999**

"Come on, Hermione, I'm sitting at Gryffindor table with you, isn't that enough?" Draco pleaded with Hermione.

"If you think sitting at a table with me is showing me attention, then you're wrong!" Hermione got up and stormed outside, but Draco quickly followed. "How do you think I feel, Draco?" Hermione continued their argument outside. "You hide me in a corner! I see you in private hallways or in an unknown cafe in Hogsmeade! I'm your girlfriend but you're too embarrassed to be seen with me!"

"That's not true, if I didn't want to be with you I wouldn't be! I just don't air my private life to the world. But I definitely do not hide you; Everyone knows we are together!" Draco retaliated.

"Together in the shadows! I include you in everything I do, just because I'm with Harry or Ron doesn't stop me from seeing you! Crabbe and Goyle don't even know I exist! I'm over it, Draco, I don't feel important."

Draco sighed. "Look, Potter and Weasley are different than Crabbe and Goyle, alright? I just don't need the Slytherins to ridicule you, that's all it is. Besides, I really don't care what they think, which is why I don't even bother connecting you to them." Hermione folded her arms across her chest; she wasn't buying his excuses. "Look," Draco tried again. "You know I'm going to my Mother's manor today for tea, come with me."

"What?" Hermione was surprised.

Draco smiled. "She's someone who matters to me, so come meet her, I mean officially, as my girlfriend." Hermione didn't know what to say. If Draco wanted to bring her to his Mother, then maybe she was overreacting. But being back at Malfoy Manor was petrifying. The last time she was there, she had been tortured by Bellatrix Lestrange. "Go and get ready and meet me in the Great Hall in an hour, I'll Owl Mother."

"She hasn't adapted to the galleons then?" Hermione asked him.

"She doesn't know about them, otherwise my pocket will always be hot!" Hermione laughed but never replied. "Please?" Draco asked her.

"Okay." Hermione hurried off to her quarters in Gryffindor tower, as an hour really wasn't a long time to get ready. She struggled on the decision of what to wear. Should she wear a pair of muggle jeans or a nice skirt? She eventually decided on witch's robes (as Narcissa Malfoy was a pureblood witch) and her hair up into a tight bun. She then headed down to the Great Hall where Draco was waiting.

"Ready?" he asked her. She nodded. The pair walked off of the Hogwarts grounds in silence, but hand in hand. The truth was that Hermione was incredibly nervous. The battle of Hogwarts had been over for quite some time now, there were no more Death Eaters, and certainly no more Voldemort, yet Hermione felt as if she was still entering enemy territory. They apparated together and landed at the gates of Malfoy Manor, where Narcissa Malfoy was awaiting her only child. She embraced him warmly and then turned to Hermione.

"Hello, Mrs. Malfoy," Hermione said.

Narcissa nodded to her. "Welcome to our home, please come inside." It was a rather normal afternoon. Draco, Hermione, and Narcissa had tea and biscuits in the sitting room, with Draco doing most of the talking. It seemed to Hermione that Narcissa was simply being nice for her son's sake, but she was more than okay with that. She had been accepted (whether willfully or not) and she was surprised at how easy it had been. Asking for anything else from Narcissa would be selfish. After another round of biscuits (with Draco trying really hard to engage his Mother in conversation with his girlfriend), he finally stood up.

"Shall I give you the grand tour, then?" he asked Hermione.

"I would love that," Hermione replied.

"Shall you join us, Mother?" Draco asked Narcissa.

"I think not, you two go ahead." Draco started with the top floor and worked his way down. Malfoy Manor was the exact same as Hermione expected it to be. All the furniture was either dark wood or marble and accented with silver. Priceless artifacts and paintings could be seen in every room, and, of course, not a thing was out of place. It was very clean and well kept, but it wasn't a happy place. Hermione frowned as she pictured what kind of childhood Draco must have had. They entered a very familiar room; Hermione instinctively looked up, but no giant chandelier was hanging from the ceiling.

"My mother never replaced it," Draco told her, knowing exactly what was going through her mind. "Come on, let's get out of here." They walked across the room (Hermione had a quick flashback of laying on the ground), and stopped beside a staircase leading to the basement. "Uh, that's where Potter and Weasley.." Draco started to explain.

"I don't want to go there," Hermione interrupted.

"Right," Draco said. "So there's one last room then. I think you'll like this, it's my Father's study. Every Malfoy heirloom can be found in there, as well as the history of the Malfoy's and photos of our ancestry, it's really cool." Hermione was intrigued. She stood outside the door as Draco reached for the handle.

"What are you doing?" came Narcissa's voice from behind.

"Showing her Father's study," Draco answered.

"You shall not go in there!" Narcissa said angrily. Hermione was disappointed but she understood; it was just like how the Weasley's struggled to enter Fred's room; it's almost forbidden since the person was no longer there.

"It's okay, let's go, Draco."

"Sorry, Hermione," said Draco. "It's just that.."

"I get it, don't worry, Lucius' study and all.."

"That room contains information that only the eyes of a Malfoy may see. We do not show it to anyone except when someone becomes a member of this family," Narcissa told her.

"No problem," said Hermione, "perhaps in the future, then."

"What do you mean?" Narcissa asked her.

"Well I'm not saying Draco and I are running off and getting married tomorrow, but one day, when I'm a proper Malfoy." Hermione smiled to Narcissa.

"A proper Malfoy?" Narcissa repeated. "Do you honestly think that my son will one day marry you?"

Hermione looked puzzled. "Draco and I are in a serious and committed relationship!" she said confidently. Narcissa laughed. Hermione saw a resemblance to Bellatrix Lestrange in her face, and hate immediately started to build up.

"Silly girl!" Narcissa said to her. "My son may be having his fun with you right now, biding his time, but he will never marry you, a Mudblood! He is still a Malfoy, regardless of where my husband may be!" Shocked, Hermione turned to Draco waiting for him to defend her, but he just kept his head down, staring at his shoes. Hermione stormed out of Malfoy Manor without a word and apparated back to the designated spot outside of Hogwarts. She was already through the gates and almost up the front steps of the castle's main entrance before Draco finally caught up with her.

"Hermione, wait!" he yelled.

"Did you hear her?" Hermione bellowed. "All those horrible things she said, and thinking that you're just with me to pass the time! She claims to know her son but clearly she doesn't!"

"Hermione," Draco started to mumble.

"I honestly cannot believe what just happened!" Hermione continued without realizing Draco had started to speak. "What a rude awakening it will be for the Malfoy's when a muggle-born witch enters the family!" "

Granger, listen!" Malfoy said a little louder.

"Granger?" Hermione repeated, finally realizing that Draco was speaking. "I'm Granger, now?"

Draco ignored her comment. "Sorry she reacted that way, okay? Can we just forget about it?"

"No we cannot!" Hermione said. "You need to tell her that this is real! We are real!"

Draco sighed. "I'm not going to do that."

"And why the bloody hell not?" Hermione yelled. There was a long pause. "Do you mean to tell me, Draco, that this was all for fun and games? That you just took me to your bed until your pure blood wife finally came around?" Hermione's face was beet red in anger.

"Hermione, you know I love you, it's just that-"

"Just what exactly, Draco?"

"Come on, I'm a pure-blood Malfoy, I could never marry a Mudblood.."

"A Mudblood?" Hermione repeated, exasperated.

"No, I didn't mean-"

"Goodbye, Draco," and with that, Hermione turned on her heel and ran into the castle without looking back.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Just to comment on a few messages received, "Guest", you are thinking along the same lines as Ginny in this story. She is not being treated fairly and, unfortunately, that is only going to get worse. The Ginny we know and love, however, will not put up with it, so stay tuned!


	7. The Unburnt Friend

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Seven: The Unburnt Friend**

 **Harry Potter - Present Day**

 **October 17, 1999**

Harry apparated on to the front step of his house. It was not a large house; it was a small little place just outside of Hogsmeade that he had bought for himself just under a year ago. After the war, he had moved into The Burrow with the Weasley's, as he was always considered part of the family. But after a few months, he found it difficult to live there while dating the only Weasley daughter. Although always respectful, Molly somehow had always found an excuse to ensure that Harry and Ginny were never in a room alone together. Deciding that he needed his own space, and considering he had a small fortune at Gringotts (and it was continuously growing since he was now working at the Ministry), Harry thought it best to get himself a small place that he could call home for the first time in his life. His dream was to return to Godric's Hollow one day (and somehow repair what used to be his parent's home), but for now, considering he was still a student at Hogwarts and therefore spent many nights in Gryffindor Tower, this house suited his needs perfectly. He unlocked his front door and immediately saw movement to his right when he entered.

"Ginny!" he said alarmed, returning his wand to his pocket after realizing that it was her sitting on his couch. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought the purpose of you giving me a key was so that I could come and visit?" she asked him.

"Of course, I'm just-"

"Surprised? Didn't think I would talk to you after our last conversation?" she answered for him. Harry shook his head and Ginny rolled her eyes in response.

"I'm your girlfriend, Harry. Even if you choose to treat me like a child."

"I'm not treating you like a child," Harry responded. "I'm just trying to-"

"Yes, protect me, I've heard it several times."

"Would you stop interrupting me?" Harry asked her, annoyed. Ginny was acting very unlike her usual self.

"Want me to go?" she taunted.

"No, as a matter of fact I was going to message you. I have something to ask."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, McGonagall approached me at Grimmauld Place, and she told me that we need to-"

"Include me in the Order as well?" Ginny said.

"Seriously, Ginny, will you please stop interrupting me! What has gotten into you?"

" _Your_ behavior has changed, Harry, so why can't mine?"

"How has my behavior changed?" Harry yelled.

"Well for one, you're yelling at me," she responded.

"I am not yelling!"

Ginny raised her eyebrows at him. "Treat me like a child, Harry, and I shall act like one!" There was a moments silence between the two. "Induct me into the order," Ginny demanded.

"No," Harry said stubbornly.

"Fine," Ginny got up from off of the couch and grabbed her bag. "I guess there is no need for me to be here."

"Ginny," Harry started, not wanting his girlfriend to leave like this. He needed her to understand that it was for her own good.

"What? Going to apologize?" Ginny asked him.

Harry's temper flared; He did not appreciate this new Ginny. "No, actually I was going to tell you that McGonagall is throwing a Ball and said we must attend, so I'll see you there." Ginny gave him a scolding look and headed outside, slamming the door behind her. Harry shook his head. He walked towards his kitchen to get a glass of water to calm down when he noticed a little owl sitting at the window. Thankful that Ginny had left prior to the owl's arrival, Harry opened the window and grabbed the letter from his leg and began to read:

 _Harry, Kingsley has informed me that nobody has been able to tail Pius to wherever it is that he is going. I did not mention this to anyone as I think it best that it remains a secret, but I believe it is time to use that wonderful cloak of yours. If we can successfully tail Pius, we will figure out something to tell the others about how we've succeeded. Let me know if you're up for it._

 _Arthur Weasley_

Harry finished reading Mr. Weasley's letter, quickly scribbled on the back _no problem,_ and sent the little owl back to him. It truly was their best plan at the moment and so, partly excited as he was about to find out the truth about Pius and most likely Grindelwald, Harry headed upstairs to his bedroom to get his father's old cloak. He went straight to the shelf across from his bed that contained a small wooden box. To the unknown eye, the box was only big enough to hold a ring or two, but thanks to Hermione's wonderful extendable charms, this box was able to hold all of Harry's prize possessions, including his infamous invisibility cloak. Harry felt around for several minutes but after pushing his broomstick out of the way and pricking himself on a shard of mirror that once belonged to his Godfather, Harry determined that his cloak was not there. He frowned and sat at the edge of his bed. There was no need to look around his house as he knew his cloak would be nowhere else. It became very apparent why Ginny had made a visit to his house today.

 **Hermione Granger - Present Day**

 **October 18, 1999**

Hermione stood outside of the Slytherin common room waiting for Draco. It had been a few days since the hearing, yet Hermione hadn't come to let Draco out of his temporary prison. She of course had food sent to him as well as some homework assignments, but she hadn't had the strength to chaperone him around the school. She did not want to see Draco go to Azkaban, but she had no idea saving him could potentially put her in there. Could she trust Draco to follow the rules? She had placed a barrier spell on the outside of his common room just in case. It was her neck on the line, and she was not about to leave that up to her ex "pure blood" boyfriend to protect.

"Wow, you've let me out of my cage!" Draco said to her, emerging out of the Slytherin common room.

"Did you bring your History of Magic books?" she asked him, ignoring his comment. Draco nodded. "Good," she said. "We'll start with breakfast then, let's go." The pair set off to the Great Hall in silence. Once they arrived, Draco turned and headed towards the Slytherin table. "Where are you going?" Hermione asked him. "You're with me, remember? Gryffindor table." Draco nodded and followed Hermione to where Harry and Ron were sitting. Both boys greeted Hermione and nodded towards Draco, but no conversation commenced.

"So what's after History of Magic?" Draco asked her.

"Well, we have similar classes luckily so anytime there's one together, I'll bring you with me. I'll also bring you to your classes that don't relate to me, just so you can still get your education. When it's my classes only, you'll be in your common room."

"Can I come with you anyway?"

"No."

Draco started to eat his breakfast, but then looked up at Hermione again. "What about the quidditch pitch? Can we go fly sometime?"

"Definitely not," she responded.

"Hogsmeade then?"

"No."

"The library?"

"Draco!" Hermione yelled. "You'll go to your classes, and that's it!"

Draco lowered his voice and leaned into Hermione. "I appreciate what you did, really, but if you were going to keep me as a prisoner, might as well have let me gone to Azkaban." Hermione was infuriated. After everything Draco had done to her, and after her risking her own freedom for him, this is how he acts? She turned to Harry for support but the look on his face showed her that she wasn't going to get any.

"You agree with him?" Hermione asked Harry, exasperated.

"He's innocent; that's why we tried to save him, remember?" Harry told her.

Angrily, Hermione got up from the table. Who was Harry to tell her what to do? _His_ neck wasn't on the line! "Let's go Draco, we have class." History of Magic went by fairly quickly. Hermione and Draco sat side by side in silence, listening to Professor Binns drone on. After class, Hermione escorted Draco to his potions lesson. While Slughorn was teaching Draco about different kinds of poison, Hermione sat in the back working on her research. She couldn't understand why nobody had been able to help George this far. She was currently working on a theory that she hoped would finally help him and she needed all the information she could get to test it. Sighing, she realized that she needed Draco's help to complete her research, but how could she get the information she required without him finding out what was going on? Potions ended and the two of them walked towards the Great Hall for some lunch. Draco made his way over to the Gryffindor table but Hermione put her arm out to stop him.

"You can have your lunch with Crabbe and Goyle," she told him.

"Really?" he questioned. She nodded, and the two walked over to where Draco's friends sat at the Slytherin table.

"What is she doing here?" shrieked Pansy Parkinson.

"You should leave, Pansy," Draco told her, giving her a knowing look. Slamming her fists on the table, Pansy stood up and marched away, enraged. Crabbe and Goyle didn't even take notice to Hermione's presence. Clearly, Draco had explained the situation to them.

"Erm, hello," Hermione said to them. Both boys looked at each other, confused; it wasn't common for Hermione to speak to them, even when she was dating Draco.

"Hi," Goyle responded. Crabbe just nodded.

"Are your studies going well?" she asked them. When neither responded, she continued. "I'm surprised you both returned, I thought you would have stayed with your families."

"Why?" Crabbe suddenly shouted. "You know our fathers are in Azkaban, you saw to that."

"Oh, I didn't mean-"

"How about you stick to interrogating those with the Dark Mark, huh? Goyle and I don't have one, so bugger off."

Hermione looked at Draco and the pair got up and left The Great Hall. "I'm dropping you off at your common room, I have something I need to do," Hermione told Draco.

"Like what?" he asked her.

"Never you mind!"

"What is with you?" Draco yelled. "Look, I know you're mad at me but I didn't ask for this! You and Potter started this-"

"Oh Draco, shut up! It's not always about you!"

"But-"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Of course I'm angry, I didn't want an innocent man going to Azkaban but I also didn't want to play babysitter! But that's not my concern right now. You really want to know what's going on? Fine! Come with me!" Hermione took off up the stairs and Draco followed. She lead him all the way to the seventh floor, past the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy. She walked past the solid stone wall three times, where the Room of Requirement used to be.

"Hermione," Draco said slowly. "The room is gone. It was destroyed in the battle by Fiendfyre."

Hermione turned to him and smiled. "You're absolutely right, Draco. Then please explain to me why Vincent Crabbe is walking around, talking and breathing, and not burnt like charcoal, considering you saw him die in the Fiendfyre in this now non-existent room?"

 **Ron Weasley - Present Day**

 **November 3, 1999**

Ron traced a circle on Jessica's bare skin. They were laying together in her bed, after what had been a wonderful hour of passion.

"Do you really have to leave so soon?" she asked him.

"I have to go run my brother's shop for him, I promised."

"Okay." That was one of Ron's favorite things about her, she didn't pry. Sure, she was curious at times, seeing as though she was a muggle, so she would ask questions, but she knew where to draw the line. She was simple, and she was what Ron needed in his life. "Do you only have the one brother?" she asked him.

Ron chuckled. "I have five brothers and one sister."

"Really?" she said, intrigued.

He nodded. "Bill is the oldest. He's married to a witch named Fleur. She's pregnant."

"Aww, a baby!" Jessica said in excitement. "Boy or girl?"

"We won't know until it's born. I know you muggles have ways of knowing earlier but St. Mungo's won't adapt to muggle ways, especially for healing."

"St. Mungo's?" she asked confused.

"Our hospital," Ron answered.

"Oh, so who's after Bill?"

"My brother Charlie. He'll never get married, that one! Loves his job too much."

"What does he do?"

"Works with Dragons."

"Dragons?"

"Yeah," Ron answered. He laughed at her expression, then continued. "So then there's Percy, he's been with his girlfriend forever. There will definitely be a wedding soon." Ron hesitated before continuing. "Next are my twin brothers, Fred and George. They own a joke shop, that's where I'm off to in a moment."

"And both brothers can't manage without you for one more hour?" Jessica asked him, rolling closer into him.

Ron struggled with his response. "Fred, uh... Well Fred is gone, um, he passed away last year," he told her quietly. The look she gave him was genuine sympathy.

"Oh Ron, I'm so sorry."

"Yeah... Yeah, and George is, uh, sick, so he needs my help."

Jessica nodded. "I really am sorry, Ron." He smiled at her, then continued on, trying to get his mind off of the twins.

"And then there's me, and finally my sister Ginny. She's dating my best friend."

"That famous guy?"

"Yeah him."

"Why is he famous again?" Ron kissed Jessica's forehead. Simple. This was the life he needed.

 **Draco Malfoy - The Past**

 **August 8, 1998**

"We can take everything to Borgin and Burkes, Father, there will be no proof, just Potter's words. But even the Wizengamot can't convict someone based only on hearsay!" Draco was frantic. Lucius Malfoy's trial was coming up and he was terrified that he would never see him again. He stood near his father's cell at Azkaban and pleaded with him to let him clear the house of any sign of the Dark Lord.

"It will not matter, Draco, I have the Dark Mark, and that is conviction enough."

"But I have it too, and you said that wasn't enough for them to convict me at my upcoming trial, that's why I'm not here in Azkaban with you!"

"You're a child, Draco, compared to me, anyway. You will get a slap on the wrist, I, on the other hand, am not naive."

"But Father!"

"Enough, Draco! Now listen carefully to everything I am about to say to you." Draco frowned, but nodded. "First, of course, you must take care of your Mother. This will be difficult, and she is not allowed to take another as her husband, so she will be lonely. You will return to Hogwarts- do not argue with me, Draco!" Lucius said, as he saw his son open his mouth to retaliate. "You will return to Hogwarts, but you will apparate home every weekend to be with your Mother. Understand?" Draco nodded curtly. "You will finish your education, that is crucial. Keep your socializing minimal, as right now you are being watched and fraternizing with anyone associated with Death Eaters will be very negative for you." Draco nodded again. "Now, what I am about to tell you is of the utmost importance. If I am given the Dementor's kiss, I need to ensure that this information is passed on." Lucius lowered his voice and Draco leaned in closer. "Now you mustn't tell a soul, nobody else knows except for Vincent Crabbe." Draco frowned at his father; Clearly Azkaban was making him lose his mind.

"Father, Crabbe didn't make it, he died in the Room of Requirement."

Lucius Malfoy lowered his voice even further so that it was barely more than a whisper. "Vincent Crabbe is alive! Listen carefully, Draco, there is a spell..."

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** A few people asked me about the made up characters so here's a brief explanation. I needed a character from Beauxbatons and I couldn't use Fleur as she was pregnant, nor could I use her sister Gabrielle as she was too young, so that is the reason I created Essa Delacour. She will have a very minimal role, however. I used Ron to bring her in to the story (and also help to develop his character a little bit) but as you can see, that's already over.

Jessica also was needed for something specific but I cannot say yet; You will know soon enough!


	8. The New Inductee

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Eight: The New Inductee**

 **Ginny Weasley - Present Day**

 **November 4, 1999**

"I am here from the Order of the Phoenix," Ginny said, standing in front of the guard at Nurmengard. Based on her brother's conversation, this guard was supposed to be a git, which, Ginny hoped, would be enough for her to trick him for some information. All she knew was that something had happened to George, Pius Thicknesse was up to something, and there's something important at Nurmengard. It was time for her to find out exactly what it was.

"Th-the order?" The guard stammered. "But someone already came! There's nothin' else ter see!"

"I believe that is up to us to decide if we are finished or not," Ginny replied confidently. "Now, take me there, please." She hoped that the guard wouldn't ask anymore questions as she didn't know where "there" was. Luckily, the guard stood up and took her to the back of the prison. They walked for several minutes until they arrived at the prison cemetery. The guard led her to an empty grave.

"We are fillin' it terday, ma'am," he told her.

"You may fill it when I am finished." Ginny crouched down and looked into the grave. She couldn't see anything at all; The Order must have already taken any evidence left behind. She did not see a headstone anywhere and knew she couldn't chance asking who it belonged to as it would blow her cover. She tried a different tactic. "Take me to this prisoner's old cell," she told the guard.

"His cell?" he repeated. "There ain't nothin' there!"

"I still wish to see it." The guard looked at her as if she were crazy and Ginny held her breath. Miraculously, the guard decided that he didn't want to argue with what he thought was an Order member, and so he led her back inside the prison. It was a short walk before he stopped in front of an empty cell. Just as he had told her outside, there really was nothing to see. "Tell me the history of this cell," Ginny told him. "Who were all the prisoners that stayed here?"

"The history?" asked the guard. "I don't know that far back. Grindelwald was here for years an' years wasn' he? Before that was a long time ago ma'am, I would have to check the records."

 _Grindelwald?_ "And nobody was here after Grindelwald?"

"No ma'am, just him. From here, he was buried when You-Know-Who killed 'em, and then one day he was gone. That's all I know." Ginny was deep in thought. So, the Order was dealing with Grindelwald. Could he really be alive? "Do you want me ter check the books?" the guard asked her.

Ginny looked up at him. "No, I'm done here, thank you." And with that, Ginny left Nurmengard with her new information and set off on her next task.

 **Harry Potter - Present Day**

 **November 4, 1999**

"Hello, Harry," came the soft voice from behind him. He was expecting her of course, but felt awkward nonetheless.

"Essa, how are you?" He asked her.

"I'm okay, how are you?"

"Brilliant, yeah," Harry replied. He looked down and scratched his head.

"This doesn't need to be awkward," she told him.

Harry smiled at her. "Yeah, you're right, we're friends. And as your friend, I could use your help." Essa nodded and listened. "Well, you know the Order of the Phoenix is still in place, and at one point you wanted to join."

"I still do."

"Fantastic," Harry replied. "There's a job that I could really use your help on. I can't explain until you're inducted and all proper procedures are put into place but there's really nobody else for the job."

Essa smiled again. "I would love to help, gives me something to do." Harry looked at Essa and noticed that she was looking at her feet. Yeah, he thought, this was awkward.

"Er, he's going through a lot right now, something happened to George." Essa looked up with concern.

"What happened, is he okay?"

"He's alive, but... well, I can explain once we get to headquarters." She nodded in response. There was an awkward silence brewing between the two.

"Is Ginny being inducted, too?" Essa finally spoke.

Harry shook his head. "That's probably never going to happen."

Essa smiled a little. "She's going to kill you," she told Harry.

"Yeah, I know," he laughed. "But I know what I'm doing." His thoughts went to his missing invisibility cloak and he frowned. He knew what he was doing but had no clue what she was up to.

"So, shall we go?" Essa asked him.

"Yeah, I'll do side along apparition, come on." Essa grabbed hold of Harry's arm and he apparated them right outside of Number 12 Grimmauld Place. Currently though, all they could see was number 11 and 13; number 12 ceased to exist. "Before we go," Harry told her, "once you're in, there's really no turning back and I won't lie to you, it's dangerous."

She smiled at him. "I'm not Ginny, you don't need to protect me." Harry didn't know how to respond. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of parchment.

"Read it and destroy it," he told her. He watched her read the parchment then pull out her wand.

"Incendio," she chanted, burning the piece of paper. At once, a house appeared in between houses 11 and 13, a large number 12 plastered on the door. "Wow," Essa breathed silently. The pair entered the house together and closed the front door behind them.

"Welcome to headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, Essa!"

 **Ron Weasley - Present Day**

 **November 4, 1999**

Ron sat in the drawing room of Number 12 Grimmauld Place, silently arguing with himself. The members of the Order were arriving for the weekly meeting and they slowly started to gather around him. His thoughts, however, were on Christmas. It was a few weeks away and he needed to wrap up his shopping. (Or better yet, start it). Shopping for Harry and his family was easy, but he wasn't sure if he should get Jessica anything. He made sure she knew he wasn't into that serious relationship thing, just casual, so did that mean he could skip out on the gift? And what about Hermione? Before they ever hooked up, they were best friends, so should he get her a gift? He tried to recall if he had gotten her one last year. No, he did not, how could he, after she cheated on him with Malfoy? But she had gotten _him_ something. As the room continued to fill up, all the chatter brought him out of his thoughts. He looked around and noticed that nearly everyone was present, and the only person who was missing was Harry.

"Kingsley," Minerva McGonagall said to the man on Ron's right. "Potter needs you in the hallway, he has a new member for you to induct."

"New member?" Ron asked. "Who?"

"Perhaps you should ask Mr. Potter," McGonagall told him. Ron got up and looked into the hall; There was no mistaking that long white-blonde hair.

"Harry!" Ron started to yell. Harry came hurrying into the room and backed Ron up into a corner.

"Ron, listen to me," he started at once before Ron could say anything. "I need a spy in France and nobody here has a good enough reason to be there. I can't ask Fleur, because she's pregnant. I need Essa. Please try to understand, it's for the good of the Order, we must defeat Grindelwald!"

Ron scolded at Harry. "Some friend you are," he said as he brushed past him, purposely bumping hard into Harry's shoulder. The meeting started a few moments later with Essa present in the room, being briefed on what was going on. Ron stared at her, but she made a good habit of not looking at him at all.

"So we need you to tail Thicknesse," Harry was telling her. "He keeps throwing the tail off in France, and we think it's because he knows none of us have a purpose in being there, so he reckons he's being followed. But you have family there so you won't be out of place, and I don't think he would suspect you to be working with us."

Essa nodded. "No problem," she said.

"Anybody figure anything out about my brother yet?" Ron interrupted. He didn't care about tracking people in France, he cared about finding a solution to George's current situation. Nobody answered. He watched everyone divert their eyes or start to fidget. "Anybody?" He asked again, louder.

"Ron, we've exhausted all of our sources at this point," Helen started to say.

"Can't have, we are missing something." Ron shouted.

"So George is frozen?" Essa asked.

"Not literally, he's basically lifeless at the moment," Hermione told her.

"Could he be frozen though?" Essa asked.

Ron looked up at her. "My brother isn't melting," he said sarcastically. He didn't have time for such stupid conversations.

"I just mean that maybe his vital organs are frozen, like his heart and lungs, that's why he's lifeless but not dead," she explained.

"If he was frozen, that would give us so much more to work with!" Hermione said eagerly. "We need a sample of his blood, to test it. Essa may be on to something!" At once, McGonagall grabbed a vial and hurried upstairs to where George was laying, with Molly right behind her. Everyone was silently waiting for their return. About ten minutes later, McGonagall returned holding the vial above her head, with a teary-eyed Molly beside her.

"Nothing!" McGonagall said. "He has no blood, it's empty!"

 **Ginny Weasley - The Past**

 **June 24, 1999**

Ginny walked up towards the destroyed house in Godric's Hollow. She didn't flinch as she watched it shift, removing the muggle-repellant charms as there was a witch standing in front of it. Although the muggle world now knew about the wizarding world, many things were still kept a secret. Ginny had been here before with Harry when he took her to visit his parents at the grave yard. The emotional visit had then led them to the house where Harry was born and his family was destroyed. Ginny had only been here once before, however; Harry liked to keep his Godric's Hollow visits private and Ginny respected that. It was his time to spend with his parents privately. Harry however had been acting strange lately. The week before he had gone to Gringott's to visit his vault and came back a very different person. Ginny couldn't figure out what he could have possibly found in his vault to upset him, but since then he had been at Godric's Hollow everyday. She had first apparated near the cemetery, but after paying a visit to Mr. And Mrs. Potter's graves, she discovered that Harry was not there. That only left one other place. She frowned when she arrived at the Potter's old home; She was certain Harry would have been here. Suddenly, movement in the top floor's window had caught her attention. When looking at the house, the entire upper wing on the right hand side was destroyed beyond repair. Where there should have been a wall and a corner beam, there was an enormous hole. The window frame hung from its original place by a mere thin piece of aluminum and the roof had caved in to the room. Looking into the hole, nothing could be seen except for debris, but Ginny knew from the stories that it would have been Harry's nursery, and the place where his mother had lost her life. The left side of the house, however, was intact and there was definitely someone moving inside of it. Taking a deep breath and readying her wand, Ginny silently entered the house. She slipped in through the front door and looked around. To her right was nothing but debris; it looked as if the blast that occurred upstairs all those years ago had affected the bottom floor as well. To her left was what seemed to be a drawing room, although now it was covered in so many layers of dust it could have been a lavatory for all she knew. In front of her was a staircase that lead upstairs, as well as a long hallway that lead to the back of the house's main floor. She heard more noise coming from upstairs. The stairs seemed to be sturdy enough and so once again she drew in a deep breath and made her way up to the top. The stairs slightly turned as she ascended and ended near the blasted room. A large hole in the ground stopped her from silently walking across the room and she therefore had to leap to the opposite side, outside of the room where the intruder was. Instantly there was a wand in her face.

"Ginny?"

"Harry!" Ginny said, instantly relaxing and lowering her wand.

"What are you doing here?" he asked her.

"Looking for you! What are you doing here? This isn't safe!"

"It's stable," Harry responded.

"No, it isn't!" She said urgently, "we should leave!"

"It hasn't collapsed yet," Harry told her, "and I've casted some reinforcement spells to ensure that it doesn't."

"You've been here before?" she asked him.

He nodded. "Several times."

"Why?"

"Because, Ginny," Harry hesitated. "This was my home. This was the only place I was ever with my parents. Voldemort may have destroyed my room, but my parents' house still stands, as do all of their belongings. This is all I have left and I want to know everything I can about them." Ginny said nothing, she couldn't even begin to imagine what it must feel like for Harry and she, too, would want to know as much as possible if it were her.

"What room is this?" she asked him.

"My parent's bedroom, I think," he told her. "There's a bed and I don't think it's a guest room because there are clothes in the closet. They're filthy, of course, and mostly torn to shreds thanks to rodents, but I think this is my Dad's old Quidditch robes, look!" Harry grabbed a dirty cloak out of what Ginny supposed was the closet and showed him. It was completely grey and black from dirt and dust, but sure enough, she could make out the Gryffindor logo as well as the name "POTTER" along the back.

"He was chaser, wasn't he?" Ginny asked him.

"Yeah," Harry smiled. He looked out towards what would have been his room. "That's where my Mum died," he said, "and where the curse backfired."

"The room is destroyed," she said. "How on earth did Hagrid get you out?"

"Don't know, but Sirius was here too. I reckon he brought me out."

Ginny grabbed his hand. "We should go."

"You go, I'll be back soon, I need to do this, Ginny." She smiled in agreement. Harry had lost so much in this house, and who was she to take this from him, when it really was all he had?

"Okay, be safe." He walked her to the front door to ensure she got out safely. She started to walk away but then turned to look at him. "What did you find in your vault to make you come searching for more?" she asked him.

Harry smiled in response. "I'll show you one day."

* * *

 **Author's notes:** I received a few reviews and a few private messages about Harry and Ginny's relationship. I am glad that people are picking up on the fact that Harry is different. This is post-war and what he went through has in fact changed him very much. (You'll see the progression through "past" scenes) there is also a reason that he is treating Ginny the way that he is and that will be addressed. But don't worry, we all know how strong our Ginny is, she's not going to put up with it!


	9. Working on the Solution

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Nine: Working on the Solution**

 **Hermione Granger - Present Day**

 **November 4, 1999**

There was no blood in George. There was nothing at all in George. Hermione gasped out loud, and everyone looked at her, puzzled. They all seemed upset with McGonagall's announcement, but Hermione just realized the importance of what she just learned.

"George has no blood, don't you get it? George is empty, he's a shell!" Nobody understood why Hermione was so happy, their confused looks actually made her laugh.

"You need to explain, Hermione!" Harry finally said.

"Gladly!" she smiled. "We've been going at this all wrong, trying counter curses and potions. None of that is going to work because George isn't here!" She couldn't believe it had taken her this long to figure it out.

"George is upstairs," said Ron, looking the most confused out of all.

"George's body may be, but his soul isn't." Hermione was getting frustrated that nobody seemed to understand. "What the spell did was not put George to sleep or any other enchantment, it removed himself from his body! So although he may appear dead, he's not, he's just somewhere else!"

"So all we have to do his bring his body to wherever it is that he is?" Asked Arthur.

"Exactly!" Hermione beamed.

"Hermione, you are a genius!" Said Helen. "His... his soul, for lack of a better word is probably somewhere magical, so we need to start looking. Once we find it, we can bring his body and have him restored. Maybe we'll be able to find out what other souls are stored there so we know which bodies to dig up!"

"Wait a minute," said Ron confused. "His soul? So like he was kissed by a Dementor?"

"Sort of," said Hermione. "Except that with a Dementor's kiss, you keep all your vital organs. With this spell, your body is literally just a shell, the rest of you is somewhere else, somewhere safe from threat."

Harry went into leader mode. "Alright, everyone, we need to find this place and fast. Kingsley, organize search parties, I want every magical place searched and make sure you check known Voldemort locations as well, I'm positive this spell came from him." Kingsley nodded. "Helen, brief Essa on her mission. Professor McGonagall, I know it's probably not there but I need Hogwarts searched, too."

"Leave it to me, Potter." Harry nodded his thanks.

"Alright everyone, until next week then, or sooner, if we find George. And don't worry Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, we will." Everyone left number 12 Grimmauld place at once, excited with the new discovery. All who were left were Hermione and Harry.

"What's up, Harry?" Hermione asked him. "You're hiding something, I know you."

"So are you," Harry responded.

Hermione smiled. "You first."

Harry sighed. "My invisibility cloak is gone and I think Ginny took it." Harry explained to Hermione what was asked of him by Mr. Weasley and about Ginny's surprise visit to his home. "That's why I brought Essa on board, I can't tell the Weasley's what's going on, they have enough on their plate, and I don't know what Ginny is up to, but I'm worried and she won't talk to me still."

"Let me talk to her," Hermione told him. "I'm sure I can get through to her." She saw the relief overcome Harry's face.

"Thanks. Now your turn." Hermione looked around, she knew everybody had left but she had to be sure.

"Promise to keep this between us, right now? Until I have more information?" Harry nodded. "Remember the night of the Hogwarts battle?"

"How could I forget?"

"Well, in the Room of Requirement there was that Fiendfyre attack and everything left behind perished."

"Right," said Harry.

"Everything and also _everyone_ should have perished."

Harry thought back to that day. "We had tried to save Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle, but it was too late for Crabbe. Crabbe... Blimey Hermione, Crabbe is alive!" Hermione folded her arms and smiled. "How could I have missed that?" Harry wondered out loud.

"We all missed it, Harry. There's only one possible spell that could have saved him."

"Abracadabra!" Harry said excitedly, finally clueing in. "But how did he get his body out?" He asked.

"He clearly had an accomplice, and I think it's Malfoy. But really, I don't care how he did it, I want to know where they restored him to his body. This is the answer we need for George!" Harry nodded in agreement. "I'm going to work on Malfoy, this is huge Harry, but I don't think we should mention it to anyone yet."

"No, I agree. But Hermione if you can get this information…"

"I know, I know," Hermione said. There was so much riding on this, and she needed to do whatever it took.

 **Draco Malfoy - Present Day**

 **November 10, 1999**

Draco walked out of Honeydukes with his pockets full. He wasn't one for sweets, but when you rarely got out anymore it was hard not to indulge. Hermione had asked him to accompany her to Hogsmeade to restock on school supplies, claiming she wasn't his errand lady and wouldn't do it for him, but Draco knew she had other motives. Whatever she tried, though, he wasn't going to tell her anything. He had promised he would take his Father's secret to the grave.

"The Ball is coming up," she said to him as they continued walking down the path.

"And?" he asked her.

"Do you want to go?"

"You want to go to the Ball with me?" he asked, shocked.

"Don't be silly!" she said. "I'm going with Viktor, of course! But if you want to go, I'll arrange a date for you. Someone I trust."

"You've got to be joking," Draco said to her.

"Draco, my life is on the line here. Now, I'm letting you go so you could enjoy yourself. It's like you said, I didn't let you get locked up by Kingsley just to be locked up by me, but I still need you to be in my eye sight. Besides, I don't think Pansy would be okay with sitting at my table, anyway."

Draco snorted. "Definitely not."

"Exactly. So, I'll have a friend escort you, and that way if I get up to dance or whatever, I won't have to worry about you." Draco shrugged. Why not? At least it would get him out of the common room for awhile.

"Where are we going?" he asked, as he noticed that she was leading him out of Hogsmeade.

"I need to meet up with Viktor quickly," she told him.

"You're bringing me on your date?"

"It's not a date! Viktor has Quidditch practice, so he can't stay, but I needed to discuss the Ball with him, in person, so he agreed to meet me here quickly." Draco understood. He wouldn't be happy if his girlfriend was bringing her ex to a Ball either. "Draco," she started. "This conversation with Viktor is important but also sensitive. Can I leave you on a nearby bench? And... and do you promise to stay?"

"Hermione, I know the risk you took for me. You have my word that I won't let you go to Azkaban." She still looked uneasy. "I promise," he reassured her, then, to show her how much he meant it, he grabbed her hands and pulled her close to him. He felt her tense up. "I'm not the one who left the relationship, you may hate me, but I still love you and I won't do anything to jeopardize your life." Hermione stepped back and looked shocked. Before she could answer him, he saw Viktor apparate nearby. "Fuck," he whispered. He thought he had something going there. She pointed to a nearby bench and he obliged; He sat down and watched her walk over to Viktor, stunned. He knew he still loved her more than anything, but saying it out loud made it so much more real. And now she knew it, too.

 **Ron Weasley - Present Day**

 **November 10, 1999**

"Hey, what are you doing here?" Jessica asked him, as she opened her front door.

"Thought I would come by, tough day at the office," he shrugged.

"Well, you can come in, but Amelia is here so we can't do anything." Ron walked into the house and saw a little girl playing with some dolls.

"Cute," he said. "Whose kid?"

Jessica chuckled, "Amelia is my daughter," she answered him.

"I never knew you had a daughter."

Jessica shrugged. "You never asked."

"Right, but I thought that would be a bit important to mention."

"Why? I thought this was just casual?" Ron didn't respond. She's right, he thought, an easy relationship, no strings attached, but still, a child she failed to mention?

"So, where's her father?" He asked her.

"We aren't together. Relationship ended before she was even born. Don't even know where he is to be honest." There was silence for quite awhile. Eventually, Jessica broke it. "So, you were saying you had a bad day at the office?"

"Yeah, turns out my ex was brought in to a big project we're working on."

"Oh, ex from how long ago?" Good, he thought, a little jealousy was needed, at least he knew this easy casual relationship was still a relationship nonetheless.

"Recently," he answered. "Just before you and I, actually."

"You left her for me?" Jessica asked, frowning. Yes, he thought, but didn't say that aloud.

"Nah, I just happened to meet you around the same time I was done with her."

She nodded. "Know anything about kids?" She asked him.

"No," he laughed, "but I guess I will with Bill's baby coming soon."

"When's that supposed to happen?"

"Around May." The two sat quiet for another short while. It dawned on Ron just how little the two had in common. He had been so caught up with the sexual aspect of what they did that he hadn't realized that it was all they had. He brushed that thought away, though. Jessica was not complicated, she was easy, and that's what he needed in his life. He removed his cloak and placed it across the back of the couch and then moved closer to Jessica. He began by rubbing her arm and slowly started to kiss her shoulder and work his way up to her neck. She started to giggle.

"Ron, Amelia is playing in the other room!" She said.

"She's in the other room," Ron repeated. "I know how to keep quiet." Jessica giggled but didn't stop him. It didn't take him long to have her laying on the couch with himself on top of her and his hand up her blouse.

"Mommy," he heard Amelia call, but either Jessica didn't hear her or chose not to answer. "Mommy!" Came Amelia's voice again, this time much closer.

"Shit, I think she's in the room," Ron whispered. Jessica lifted her head up and sure enough, there was Amelia at the end of the couch.

"Sweetie, go play in the next room, Mommy will be there soon." Obediently, Amelia turned around and headed to the other room. Ron went right back to kissing Jessica and if lucky, doing a lot more. It wasn't very long, however, before they heard a small explosion in the next room. They both jumped up, Jessica shirtless, and ran into the next room. What Ron saw was horrific; Amelia was laying face down on the ground motionless with blood oozing out of the side of her head. Jessica screamed and ran to her daughter.

"Call an ambulance! Call an ambulance!" she was screaming at Ron. Ron could only assume that was the muggle way of contacting Healers, but before he could ask her how, he noticed what looked like a wooden stick in Amelia's little hand.

"No," he said to Jessica, panic rising in his voice. "We are going to St. Mungo's." Petrified, Ron walked over to what he had thought was a wooden stick previously and pocketed it; She had gotten a hold of his wand.

 **Hermione Granger – The Past**

 **June 20, 1998**

"Harry?" Hermione called out, but either he did not hear her or did not want her to know that he did, Harry Potter did not reply. Hermione frowned as she made her descent down the long benches to the middle of the room. She remembered the last time that she had been here with Harry and their friends. Unlike Harry, Hermione had only seen the room briefly in her fifth year, she was not one of the group that had fought the Death Eaters here. She, of course, knew the story well, however; Harry, alongside The Order, had fought Death Eaters who were trying to steal the prophecy made about him and Lord Voldemort. The prophecy was smashed, however, but the Death Eaters still gained one thing; Sirius Black had died. Hermione approached Harry slowly, unaware of what state he may be in. He was sitting cross legged facing an archway standing on its own on top of a dais. Silently, Hermione sat beside her friend and stared at the archway. There was a mysterious beauty to it, however, the whispers that could be heard coming from it was eerie and made her very uncomfortable.

"He fell through it, Hermione," Harry started to tell her. "Bellatrix casted a spell that caught him in the chest and he went through, but he never came out of the other side." Hermione said nothing. She could understand the pain Harry felt when he lost his Godfather, so soon after they had reunited.

"Harry," Hermione started quietly, being cautious of Harry's current mindset. "Why do you keep coming here? It's the sixth time in the last month!"

"He's in there, Hermione, I know it."

"Oh, Harry, I'm really sorry, but he's not. This isn't healthy. It's just like when you discovered the Mirror of Erised."

"It's not like that at all!" Harry yelled. "I know that my parents are dead, the mirror just allowed me to see them, it's not like the Dursley's gave me any pictures!" Hermione bowed her head. She knew the pain of not having your parents, but she at least had photographs and an abundance of memories. "He's in there, Hermione," Harry continued. "Don't you hear the whispers?"

"I do, Harry, but we don't know anything about this archway, that could be part of the dark magic, to lure people to their deaths."

"Or," Harry started, anger rising in his voice, "It's all the innocent victims stuck in there trying to find a way out!"

"I'm sorry, Harry, but there really is no sugar coating this. Sirius is gone, just like Dumbledore, just like Remus and Tonks, just like.. like your parents."

"How do you know that for certain?" Harry snapped. Hermione paused for a long time before she finally answered.

"Because, Harry, when we arrived to the Ministry in our fifth year, I couldn't see the Thestrals that we rode in on, but after I woke up in the hospital wing and went outside, they were there, very visible. And you know, Harry.."

"A person can only see a Thestral once they've seen death," Harry finished, defeated.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** For those still asking about Harry and Ginny's relationship, I briefly explain in the previous chapter's "author's notes." In terms of why Ginny has not broken up with Harry, she will explain, herself, in chapter sixteen. For the hatred I keep receiving about this new Harry (lol) I promise he will redeem himself!


	10. St Mungo's

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Ten: St. Mungo's**

 **Hermione Granger – The Present**

 **November 10, 1999**

"You brought your pet along," Viktor said, practically growling. Hermione took a deep breath, this was not going to be easy.

"I barely let him out of his common room, you know, and he needed supplies. I may have to watch him but I am certainly not his house elf," she told her boyfriend, hoping that would be enough.

"Vy can't he get one? Then you can be off the hook and he von't haff to be around."

"I wish I could, but all they are really allowed to do are bring him meals and they already do. I made an unbreakable vow, I really have no choice."

"You shouldn't haff made it in the first place." Hermione sighed. She could not blame Viktor for his resentment, she would not be comfortable either if the roles were reversed.

"Viktor, we've talked about this. Please move past it, please? For me?" Viktor bent down and kissed her sweetly.

"As long as he keeps his hands far avay from you."

"You have nothing to worry about," she smiled sweetly. "You are the only man in my life." Viktor kissed her again.

"So not that I am complaining, but vy the urgent meeting that couldn't haff just happened over a message? I haff Quidditch in thirty minutes."

"I know, I know, I'll make this quick," Hermione said. She took another deep breath, grabbed his hand, and spoke, "Hogwarts is hosting a Ball, similar to that of the Yule Ball. As is our tradition, it seems, I would like us to go together!"

Viktor chuckled. "Tradition?"

"Well it can be, we went to the first one together and now there's a second."

Viktor grabbed Hermione's face in his hands. "You, my beautiful, silly vitch, do not need to ask me this. For every event, party, gathering, _ball_ , that either of us are invited to, you vill always be the one on my arm and I hope I am the one on yours."

Hermione smiled. "Of course!" she exclaimed. Now for the hard part _,_ she thought. "So I've arranged a date for Draco, so the two of them and us, plus Harry and Ginny and Ron and his date will share a table," she said quickly, hoping to episkey the situation swiftly as opposed to applying dittany slowly.

"He vill be attending?" Viktor questioned.

"Viktor, listen. If I did not believe Draco to be innocent, I never would have found myself in this situation. The entire school is going to be there, how can I deny him the chance?" Before Viktor could reply, Hermione continued with her plea. "I trust the person that I've set him up with, she will watch him for me. He will simply be at our table but that is it, he is not with us. Please, Viktor?" She watched Viktor sigh several times before he finally replied.

"After the ball, drop him off at his common room and join me at my estate."

"Wh-what?" Hermione asked, thrown off guard.

"You haff never been there and I think it would be nice to spend a night vith you." He said. How could Hermione say no after what she had just asked of him? Reluctantly, she nodded. Viktor smiled at her and kissed her one last time before he apparated to his Quidditch practice. Hermione walked back to where Draco sat waiting for her.

"Everything okay?" he asked her. She looked at him for a moment, then shook her head. "Let's go."

 **Ron Weasley – Present Day**

 **November 10, 1999**

Ron paced back and forth, impatiently waiting for a Healer to come out and give them news. It had been chaotic, bringing Amelia to St. Mungo's. Ron hurriedly gave Jessica instructions on how to get to the visitor entrance of the hospital for magical maladies and injuries before sweeping Amelia into his arms and preparing to apparate her to St. Mungo's. Jessica was shouting at him to hand her daughter back but he knew if he hadn't acted quickly, the situation would have become much more dire. He arrived within seconds and rushed in, explaining to the check in witch what had happened. Instantly, two Healers appeared and escorted Ron and an unconscious Amelia to the muggle injury ward. It was several hours before Jessica had arrived. She had tracked down a wizard outside and had him inform Ron that she was outside of the hospital and he went to let her in, but did not expect the backhand that came with it.

"How dare you!" she screamed at him, aiming another hit. "Where is my daughter?"

"She is being treated," Ron answered. "Come with me." He led Jessica to the ward where Amelia was being treated, but no Healer had come out and given an update as of yet. He had tried to walk over to Jessica once, but the look she gave him definitely had the ability to kill, and so he had stayed away and started pacing, all the while waiting for his Mum to receive the Owl that he had sent her.

"Ron, what has happened?" came the voice of Molly Weasley, as a short plump witch made her way over to her youngest son.

"Mum, thank Merlin!" he said, the feeling of relief overcoming his body. "My girlfriend, her-"

"Essa?"

"No, Essa and I broke up."

"When?"

"Not the time, Mum!"

Molly nodded. "Right, so your new girlfriend?"

"Well I don't know if that's what she is but her daughter, Amelia, she's really little and.. Well.. She got a hold of my wand."

"Merlin!" Molly gasped.

"She wasn't awake when I brought her in and the Healer's haven't said anything to us and Jessica won't talk to me."

"Let me talk to her, Dear," Molly told him. She looked around confused for a moment. "Why are we in the muggle ward?" She asked him. Ron looked down at his feet.

"They are muggles," he mumbled.

Molly sighed, "very well. Leave it to me, Dear," and she walked on over to the young mother sitting at the end of the hall with her head in her hands.

 **Harry Potter – Present Day**

 **November 10, 1999**

Harry arrived at the muggle ward at St. Mungo's and immediately ran into his best mate, Ron, pacing back and forth anxiously.

"Ron,' Harry said approaching him, "I came as soon as I heard."

"It's bad, Harry," said Ron, panic in his voice and forgetting all about being mad at him. "She was just lying there, motionless, I couldn't believe it when I saw my wand in her hand."

"What did the Healer's say?" Harry asked him. "Nothing, they haven't come out yet and it has been hours!" As if Ron had cast a summoning charm, the Healers finally walked out of Amelia's room. Harry, Ron, Jessica, and Molly all approached them with anticipation.

"Well, she isn't awake," the head Healer started. Jessica started to sob uncontrollably. "You're the mother, I take it?" The Healer asked her.

She nodded. "Jessica Ferguson. Tell me she's going to be okay?"

"Well, there is a lot to take in. For one, we don't know what spell caused her to fall. At her age, it is usually just a blast as she of course wouldn't know any spells, but the intensity varies from witch to witch."

"My daughter isn't a witch," Jessica said, still sobbing into Molly's shoulder. "We are margles or whatever it's called."

"Muggles," Ron mumbled. The Healer looked at Molly and she gave him a slight nod of understanding.

"What is to be done in the meantime, Healer Martus?" she asked him.

"At this point we monitor and wait, and we will let you know of any change. You may go and see her now, Ms. Ferguson." Jessica went in to her daughter's room, but everyone else stayed behind, giving Jessica the privacy she needed.

"Mrs. Weasley," Harry started, "What was that look between you and Healer Martus?"

Molly hesitated for quite some time before turning to Ron. "You gave Jessica directions on how to get here the muggle way?" She asked him.

"Well yeah, I can't apparate a muggle, it isn't permitted."

"But you apparated Amelia here?"

"Well, it was an emergency!" Ron almost yelled. "I'll take whatever punishment I get for it."

Harry caught on right away. "Ron, the wizarding law does not say that Wizards are not permitted to apparate muggles, it states that Wizards cannot apparate muggles as it requires a form of magic from both parties and muggles do not contain any magic."

"So?" Ron asked, oblivious to what was being said.

"What do you know about Amelia's father?" Molly asked him.

"Nothing really, just some muggle who left Jessica when she was pregnant, why?"

"Oh Ronald, don't you see, Dear? You couldn't have apparated with Amelia if she were a muggle, and she wouldn't have been able to have a reaction from your wand either. Amelia is a witch!"

 **Hermione Granger – The Past**

 **October 28, 1998**

Hermione patiently waited for Healer Martus in his office. She had anticipated this meeting for a very long time and now that it was finally here she was incredibly nervous. She went through her list continuously in her mind, ensuring that she would not forget anything. This meeting was crucial and probably one she would never get again.

"Good evening," came Healer Martus's voice as he entered his office. "Sorry to keep you waiting Ms..?"

"Granger, sir, Hermione Granger. And it's no problem at all, being the head Healer here at St. Mungo's, I understand how busy you must be and appreciate you giving me a moment of your time. Between running the muggle ward and supervising all the other Healers in each of their wards, I truly cannot understand how you do it all! What with the fourth floor alone, spell damage must be the most demanding, and then adding the new muggle ward alongside of it.."

"I see you have done your homework," Healer Martus said, "I'm afraid to say that I have not done mine."

"Oh, that's okay," Hermione responded. "I'm from the Dobwig Association, as well as a member of The Order of the Phoenix."

"Is that so? Well tell me, Ms. Granger, what can I do for you? As you so very well know, time is not usually on my side."

Hermione nodded then took a deep breath. "I am here to discuss three important items and I already have plans and ideas about how to overcome them," she said confidently.

"Is that so?" he asked her. "And the first item on your list?"

The image of her parents in Australia appeared in the forefront of her mind. "Memory charms. I want to find a way to cancel them out, or remove them. We should be able to place the spell for protection, but then take it back when it's safe again. Now, I was doing some planning and..."

"What is the second item on your agenda?" He interrupted her. Her confidence faltered a little bit at the abrupt interruption, but she continued nonetheless.

"Lycanthropy. Now I know that the two most recent werewolves are no longer with us," she said sadly, thinking of Remus Lupin, "but Greyback was let loose during the war and many new lycanthropes are going to surface, and I think we can go much further than the Wolfsbane potion. My thoughts were..."

"Your third item, Ms. Granger?"

Hermione was angry now, but she knew she would never get another chance like this, so she took yet another deep breath and spoke, "The Cruciatus Curse and its effects." She knew there was no point in speaking further as Healer Martus would just cut her off. She instead sat silently and waited for him to speak.

"I see," he said after a long moment of silence. "Ms. Granger, I can appreciate your concerns, but you are far from the first witch to address them, and as you know St. Mungo's is a very busy place, I just don't think.."

It was Hermione's turn to cut him off. "With all due respect, Healer Martus, your job here is to help, protect, save, aid, and heal every witch, wizard, or even muggle affected by magic. What I am addressing will help people in the future and you should be concerned with the facts that currently there is no help for those dealing with what I just listed. As Head Healer, I would assume that you would do everything in your power to find cures and make changes! Now I am presenting to you theories and potential answers and am astounded that you are not listening to what I have to say!"

There was a very long pause. Finally, Healer Martus stood up and opened his office door. Hermione scowled but got up to leave, realizing that she had gotten nowhere. As she reached the threshold, however, Martus Healer turned to her and said, "I will owl you a time that works for me, be sure to bring your research; We will start with the Cruciatus Curse."

Hermione smiled, "Thank you, I look forward to our success." And she walked out of his office, with a small bounce in her step.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** I had a few people message me asking how frequent I will post. I truthfully don't know lol I would like to post a chapter a day, but I also have a little baby that demands a lot of my attention. I will post a minimum of twice a week though.


	11. The Big Hill

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Eleven: The Big Hill**

 **Ron Weasley – Present Day**

 **November 10, 1999**

Ron approached Amelia's room cautiously. He saw Jessica sitting in one of the chairs next to the bed, holding the little girl's hand. She had her head down and Ron wondered if she was asleep. He then let his eyes fall onto the little girl. She was so small, lying there motionless. He had anticipated bandages or something to be visible but all he saw was a sleeping child. He looked back over to Jessica to discover that she was watching him.

"Er, hello," Ron said awkwardly. "I didn't know if you wanted me to be in here."

Jessica shrugged. "That Doctor that's looking after her said that the blast hit her chest and he won't be able to do much until she wakes up." Ron nodded as he ignored the voice in his head that was saying _if she wakes up._ He forced himself to think of something else, but all that came to mind was the conversation he had with his Mother and Harry.

"Er, can you tell me about Amelia's Father?" He asked her.

"Why?" She asked him.

"Sometimes knowing information about both parents can help," he lied, "magic works in many ways."

Jessica didn't question him. "I don't know much about him, I don't even know his last name!" She chuckled. "It was June of 1997, and I went to this empty forest that I read about to meditate."

"Meditate?" He asked her.

"Yeah, find myself. Be one with nature, I guess. Anyway, I set up a tent and started to build a fire, I was getting ready to start my journey I guess you could call it, when I heard someone running towards me. He looked hurt, I saw blood running down his face. I called out to him and asked if he was okay and I guess I startled him because he passed out the minute he heard me. I immediately went to him with my first aid kit and he opened his eyes as I was putting peroxide on one of his cuts. He blacked out after that for about three hours." She sat quietly for a while with a smile on her face, probably reminiscing. "Basically, we spent a month in that tent together," she finally said.

"A month?" Repeated Ron.

"Yeah, I guess we got carried away," she laughed again. "And then one morning I woke up incredibly sick. My gut told me I was pregnant, I don't know how I knew, but I just did. Nigel, that was his name – Nigel, he wasn't there when I got up but that was normal, he usually woke up early to go find food." Jessica paused for a very long time before she spoke again, this time barely audible. "I waited three days, but he never came back."

Ron sat silently before he reached over and grabbed her hand. "I'm not going anywhere," he told her.

"Why?" He understood why Jessica would seem skeptical. The truth was, Ron didn't know why he wouldn't leave. He wasn't Amelia's father and he wasn't Jessica's boyfriend. He cared for her, but not like he cared for Essa or even Hermione. He felt incredibly guilty about what happened to Amelia, but that still wasn't what was holding Ron to her.

"I don't know," he finally answered her. "I just know I won't go."

"This isn't going to be easy, Ron," Jessica told him. No, nothing ever is, he thought to himself. He could see that she was exhausted.

"You rest here for a while, I'll come back in a bit." He exited the room and walked up to Harry and his Mum who were waiting for him.

"Anything, Dear?" His Mum asked him.

He shook his head. "She didn't even know his last name. Said he upped and left one day and never came back."

"Perhaps he was pureblood and afraid of what might have happened if he was with a muggle during the war," Molly speculated.

"He could have been a muggle, Mrs. Weasley," Harry chimed in. "Amelia could be a muggle born."

"I suppose," she replied, however she looked doubtful.

"Well, whoever he is, it is my responsibility now," Ron said.

"Whatever do you mean, Ronald? Surely you don't hold yourself responsible? It was an accident."

"I know that, but someone needs to take care of them, I'm not just going to abandon them." Molly frowned and walked away, mumbling something about getting a cup of tea.

"Did I miss something?" Ron asked Harry, puzzled.

Harry hesitated. "You don't have the best track record mate. Hermione and Essa..."

"Hermione cheated on me with Malfoy!" Ron bellowed.

"Ron, that's not what happened..."

"Oh yeah, defend her. And advocate for your new best friend, Essa, too!"

"Ron, calm down!" Harry said, trying to get his best friend to lower his voice in the middle of the hospital.

"Bugger off, Harry," Ron said angrily. "You're not wanted here."

 **Ginny Weasley – Present Day**

 **November 17, 1999**

Ginny apparated to Shell Cottage after deciding that she would speak to her eldest brother Bill about what she overheard between Charlie and Ron, and demand to know where George was. As she approached the front door however, she heard voices coming from an open window. Not believing her luck again, she crouched below the window sill and listened to what was being said.

"Now, Essa, you cannot be conspicuous at all!" Came Fleur's voice.

"She's right," said Bill. "Thicknesse is already on edge, so he will be looking for any sign of The Order."

"Got it," came what must have been Essa's voice.

"Any sign of trouble, you apparate right back here, and we will deal with any repercussions," said Bill. So, Essa was going undercover, Ginny thought to herself. Since when was she in The Order?

"Right, so for sure he's going to be near the bakery that Tante Renee owns?" Essa asked Fleur.

"Oui, he apparates zere each time."

"Okay, and then?"

"And then we don't know," Bill said sadly. "We lose him after that. He knows none of us should be in France, so he takes off up a hill that is literally in the middle of nowhere. We have no reason to be there and so he is able to just take off and we can't follow him anymore. But you, Essa, you have every reason for being in France, and therefore, maybe you can find out where he is going."

"Got it," Essa replied.

"Essa, be careful!" Came Fleur's voice. Ginny took the opportunity to quickly throw Harry's invisibility cloak over herself and silently followed Essa, Fleur, and Bill to the safe place outside of Shell Cottage that allowed for apparition.

"Don't apparate there in one shot, you can splinch yourself," Bill warned.

"I'll go to Brighton, then Cherbourg, before apparating to Paris."

"Just zee borders will do," Fleur told her. Relief came over Ginny. She could just apparate herself to the borders as well and not have to risk Essa knowing that she was followed. Getting to the specific place in Paris however was going to be difficult. She distanced herself quite a bit from the three of them and found a safe place to apparate where they would not hear her. She arrived at the border of Brighton and waited for Essa to show up. Every city's borders were constantly busy with witches and wizards apparating in and out as it was the safest way to ensure that one didn't splinch themselves. Too many wizards would try and go across countries in one shot but would usually leave an arm or a leg behind. Recently, the wizarding world was informed that there would be designated apparating areas at every city's border to allow for witches and wizards to apparate from city to city until they reached their destination without being splinched. She saw Essa arrive a few feet away from her. Safe from being seen whilst under the invisibility cloak, and surrounded by many apparater's to mask the sound of her apparating as well, Ginny apparated to Cherbourg and waited for Essa once again. It was only a few moments before Essa arrived. Now this was the difficult part; Ginny needed to apparate with Essa to ensure she arrived at the right place. She quickened her pace to reach Essa and gently grabbed her wrist just as Essa disapparated and arrived in Paris. Ginny stood very still and waited to see what Essa would do. Although hidden under the cloak, she knew that Essa felt her grab her wrist and therefore Essa knew someone had tagged along with her. Deciding that there was probably a security risk, Essa disapparated again, probably going back to Shell Cottage to tell Bill and Fleur what she had felt. This worked out better for Ginny. She looked around her and saw a small bakery to her left. _Les Bonbons de Renee._ That must have been the Delacour's aunt's bakery. To her right was an open field with a large green hill at the centre. So large in fact, that what lay on the other side of the hill remained unseen. She heard an apparating sound behind her and turned to see none other than Pius Thicknesse. She watched him look around before he set off towards the hill. Taking a deep breath, Ginny followed behind him, still under the cloak, and ready to finally get some answers.

 **Neville Longbottom – Present Day**

 **November 17, 1999**

"And remember, so long as you annunciate correctly and focus, you should be able to transfigure any liquid item in to a perfect solid." Neville noted everything that McGonagall was saying; He was only at level six in Transfiguration and knew if he didn't move on soon, his Gran would not let him hear the end of it.

"Dismissed." Everyone rose and headed towards the exit, Neville included, until he heard McGonagall call him.

"Mr. Longbottom, a word, if you please." Nervously, Neville approached the Professor's desk. Professor McGonagall made a great deal of looking for a piece of parchment in one of her desk drawers. The entire room was empty except for the pair of them before she acknowledged him. "My apologies, Mr. Longbottom, I needed the classroom to be empty. I would prefer not to discuss Order items here at Hogwarts, but sometimes we haven't a choice." Neville nodded and breathed a sigh of relief. Talking about the Order was something he could handle quite well, being scolded for his grades, on the other hand, was rather difficult and happened quite too frequently since he entered Hogwarts at eleven years old. "As you are aware, the Ball is approaching. Now I try and make it a habit of not getting involved with my student's personal lives but I take it that you do not have a girlfriend?"

"Uh, no, Professor," Neville answered awkwardly.

"Well perhaps it is for the best then, as the Order requires as many members as possible to be present."

"Uhm, why, Professor?"

"I do not always question Potter's or Kingsley's requests, I trust that they know what they are doing, as should you."

Neville nodded. "Yes. Professor."

"Very good. Now then, a student from Durmstrang or Beauxbatons may only attend if accompanied by a Hogwarts student. In that case, I would like for you to take Ms. Essa Delacour."

Neville frowned. "Won't Ron get mad?"

"It is an Order matter, I'm sure Mr. Weasley is mature enough to understand that."

"Okay." Neville turned to leave. As he reached the door, McGonagall called him again.

"Mr. Longbottom, do try and work a little harder, you should be nearly done Hogwarts, not still in my level six class."

"Yes, Professor." Neville walked out of the room and pulled out his galleon. How was he supposed to ask Essa to go to the Ball with him? Surely the Order would have told her too? Realizing he didn't even have Essa's galleon serial number, he decided to apparate to Grimmauld Place after classes, hoping that someone there could help him out.

 **Harry Potter – The Past**

 **May 3, 1998**

Harry lay wide awake on his four-poster bed in Gryffindor Tower. A large portion of Hogwarts Castle was destroyed thanks to the previous night, yet he still felt comfort in being there. Most students had left to go visit with their families, or mourn the ones that they lost, but this was Harry's home and so this was where he had decided to stay. Not surprising considering what had occurred the night before, Harry couldn't sleep. He put on his robe and headed out of the empty dormitory to the Gryffindor common room. He found Hermione sound asleep on the couch. She had been the only other Gryffindor to stay behind, having no family at the moment either. Harry sighed as he watched her brow furrow in her sleep. It was his job to take care of her now, as she had no family thanks to him. He sighed again as he covered her with a blanket, thinking of all the people that had lost family members thanks to him. He allowed his feet to take him wherever they wanted to go, and he ended up standing outside of the Great Hall. For the first time since he had ever been at Hogwarts, the doors of the Great Hall were locked. Knowing what was behind the locked doors, Harry withdrew his wand and pointed at them. "Alohomora," he said quietly. He heard the doors unlock with a click and he pushed his way in. It was a horrible sight. Rows upon rows of bodies laid on the ground, all waiting for their families to prepare proper burials for them. He walked slowly among the rows, filling him with more and more despair as he walked on. All these people were dead because of him. They all fought while he roamed the castle searching for the final horcrux that would take Voldemort down for good. He had to do it, he knew he had no choice, but all these dead people were the consequence of what he had to do. He inhaled deeply as he looked to his right and saw Lavender Brown, almost unrecognizable. It was as if he had raised his wand himself and casted Avada Kedavra on her. Perhaps it would have been better, he thought, looking at how badly Fenrir Greyback had mauled her. He moved on stopping every so often to look at someone specific. It was difficult to look at everyone, but it was so much worse when he was looking at a student. So young and innocent, and now gone, all because of him.. He reached an empty spot where he knew Fred had been the previous night. The Weasley's had already taken him to his Auntie Muriel's house, where he would lay until his funeral the next day. He looked at the person next to him and saw two very familiar faces that caused quite a dull ache in his heart. He knelt down beside Remus Lupin and his wife Tonks, and he fought back the tears. They had just had a baby, Teddy, and had made Harry Godfather. Tonks shouldn't have been here, he thought, she should have stayed home with Teddy. At least then Teddy would have his mother. Harry silently made a promise to Remus and Tonks that Teddy would never grow up without love. He would always know how brave his parents were. Harry swore that Teddy would not grow up like he, Harry, had. He stared at Remus for awhile. "Well, the Marauder's are finally together again," he whispered to him, thinking of his father, James, and his Godfather, Sirius, and hoping that they would forgive him for sending them their friend at such a young age. He got up and continued walking. He could not believe how many students there were; A variety of red, yellow, and blue, and even one green was lain among the dead. He stopped abruptly at one small boy with red robes. At this point, Harry lost control. The tears rolled down his face and he started to sob uncontrollably. What had this poor little boy done to deserve such an untimely death? Harry thought back to his second year at Hogwarts, when he had first met his number one fan. He felt sick to his stomach thinking about people idolizing him. He wasn't a hero, he was a murderer! All these deaths had happened because of him, and now this poor, innocent boy... Harry sobbed uncontrollably. "I'm sorry!" he shouted. "I am so, so sorry!" he cried, as he hugged tightly to the body of little Colin Creevey.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** You will start to see other character's perspectives slowly pop up, such as Neville. There are plenty of characters that I will focus on eventually; Remember that I go all the way to the year 2017 and I'm currently only at 1999!


	12. Choices

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Twelve: Choices**

 **Ginny Weasley – The Present**

 **November 17, 1999**

Ginny followed Pius Thicknesse for what felt like miles. She had wondered why he did not apparate closer to his destination, but when she reached the bottom of the big hill, she felt the wave of magic hit her. Clearly non-apparating wards had been set up. This must be where Grindelwald is hiding, she thought, there was no way there would be this much security otherwise. She continued to follow him quietly, still under the protection of the invisibility cloak. It was incredibly windy; Ginny kept holding the cloak down, praying that the wind would not expose her feet. She followed Thicknesse until he arrived beside a small little house, very similar to that of the Shrieking Shack. This was Grindelwald's hideout, she knew it in her gut. Slightly nervous, but full of excitement, she headed towards the front door, hoping to slip in with Pius before he closed it. Suddenly, she felt her pocket grow hot. She would have ignored it, but the galleons do not stop producing heat until a message was read, so she grabbed her galleon and glanced quickly before returning it to her pocket, but the message she received from Ron made her stop dead in her tracks.

 _Come to St. Mungo's. Now._

What had happened? She briefly looked up at the house; She was so close, how could she just leave? She had to think of her family first, however, and at least now she knew where the hideout was and therefore could return later. She turned and ran back towards the big hill, climbed over it back to the bakery, and began apparating back until she arrived at St. Mungo's. She had put the cloak back into her bag at some point between apparition spots at the borders, and met with her brother just outside of the muggle ward.

"Ron, what is it, what's going on?"

"Okay, so it's a long story but I'm sure your perfect little boyfriend will fill you in," Ron said angrily. "Basically, I have a muggle girlfriend, I broke up with Essa, my new girlfriend has a daughter who is a witch, but they don't know that. Well, her daughter got a hold of my wand and caused an explosion and now she's unconscious and the Healer's don't know what to do."

Ginny stood there stunned; That was plenty of information to take in at one time. "What can I do to help?" she finally said.

"Mum was here and has been talking to her for the last week or so, so I think she has the situation under control."

"Wait, a week? You haven't bothered to tell me any of this for a week?"

Ron ignored his sister. "So Mum said I have to go to the stupid Ball coming up, uh, Order stuff, can't tell you why, but she's convinced Jessica, that's my girlfriend, that she should come with me and it would be good for her to get out for awhile. Mum promised to stay with Amelia and would owl us if anything changed." Ron finished.

"And what exactly do you need me for?" Ginny asked, annoyed.

"You need to take her home and help her get ready. She doesn't have anything and you are about the same size."

"Seriously?"

"Mum said so, Ginny, so just do it!"

Ginny was infuriated. So _this_ is what her family thought of her. She wasn't important enough to know about her own brother, there wasn't a point in informing her about Ron's situation, and now she has to play dress up with some muggle? She turned angrily on her heel and headed towards the girl Ron had pointed to.

"Hey, Ginny, one more thing," Ron called to her.

"What?"

"She doesn't know Amelia is a witch, so keep it that way, will you?"

Ginny smiled and walked toward Jessica. Her family, just like Harry, were not going to appreciate the new Ginny Weasley.

 **Harry Potter – The Present**

 **November 19, 1999**

"The Ball is tomorrow and she has no idea why her boyfriend isn't going to be there with her. We have to tell her." Harry nodded in agreement to what Charlie was saying. The two men sat in the kitchen of the Burrow awaiting Mrs. Weasley's arrival. The Weasley matriarch had been going back and forth between Grimmauld Place and St. Mungo's to check on George and Amelia, that she was rarely home these days. Charlie, however, had owled her to meet him and Harry at the Burrow today to discuss something important.

"Hello Charlie, Dear!" came Mrs. Weasley's voice as she entered her kitchen and kissed her son. "And Harry, Dear, how are you?" she asked as she went over to kiss him as well.

"Fine, Mrs. Weasley, how is Amelia?"

"She's the same, I am afraid, as is Georgie."

"It will work, Mum," Charlie assured her.

Molly beamed at him. "Now boys, what is it that you need? We have an Order meeting shortly, and I dare say, Harry, that you have a Ball to prepare for tomorrow?"

"It is about the Ball, Mum," Charlie started. "Did you know that George has a girlfriend?"

"Well, no, I didn't. Why aren't my sons telling me these things?"

"I can't speak for Ron, but George was quiet about it because it's Angelina."

"Angelina?" Molly repeated. "Fred's ex-girlfriend?"

Harry nodded. "Mrs. Weasley, she's been messaging his galleon for a very long time, Charlie has it and has been reading all of the messages. She's concerned."

"And very distraught, I would say. She needs to know, Mum."

Mrs. Weasley sat silently for a long time. "Can we trust her?" she asked, turning to Harry.

"Definitely. Hermione has told me how to charm our conversation so that she cannot repeat it. Only I can speak about it to others without the hex affecting me, but I think you should be here. She's going to need support."

"Alright, let us meet with her then."

Charlie took George's galleon and messaged Angelina.

 _Please meet me at my parent's house._

It wasn't long before they heard someone apparate nearby, followed by hurried footsteps. "George!" came Angelina's voice, followed by herself rushing into the kitchen. "Oh, hello," she panted. "I was looking for George."

"We know, Dear," said Mrs. Weasley. "Have a seat, there is something we need to tell you."

"Is everything okay?" she asked, concerned.

Both Molly and Charlie stared at Harry, and Angelina followed their gaze. He took a deep breath and began. "George is a member of the Order of the Phoenix and was working on a project for us," he started, choosing his words carefully. Molly and Charlie nodded in encouragement behind Angelina. "George is asleep," he finally said. He watched Angelina's facial expressions change from concern to confusion. "It's not like being petrified or anything," he rambled, trying to figure out the best way to explain this. "It's a new spell, and I'm sorry, but that's all I can say. We are going to wake him, we are working everyday on the counter curse but for right now..."

"He's asleep," she finished for him. Harry nodded, she was completely understanding of the odd situation. "Can I see him?" she asked, looking around the room.

"He isn't here, he's at headquarters," Harry told her.

"Can I join?" she asked. When nobody responded, she stood up. "I understand that although Voldemort was a large threat, he isn't the only one. Harry, I stood and fought next to you and the Order proudly, and I would love the chance to do it again. And George... He's sacrificing his well-being for this cause, let me be beside him. Let me help him fight!" she looked at Molly. "Let me see him," she added quietly. Molly Weasley embraced Angelina with tears in her eyes. Behind them, Harry and Charlie nodded in agreement.

"Come with me, Angelina," Harry said to her. "It's time to induct you into the Order of the Phoenix."

 **Ron Weasley – Present Day**

 **November 19, 1999**

This week's Order meeting was coming to an end. Today they had inducted a new member (Angelina Johnson) and then began the meeting by listing all of the magical locations they had checked and failed to find the location of George's soul or whatever it was that was gone. He heard Essa then start saying something about being followed when she went on her mission. The members around him seemed to have been worried, but truthfully, Ron didn't care. None of this Grindelwald situation mattered to him at all. George and Amelia were all that he cared about at the moment. He hadn't realized that the meeting had ended until he looked up and saw everyone leaving. He made to leave himself until he felt a hand lightly grab his shoulder.

"I am very surprised with you, Mr. Weasley, and that is saying something with the amount of students that I deal with on a daily basis."

Ron looked at Professor McGonagall with a quizzical look. "What did I do?" he asked her with a little more attitude than she was used to.

"Mr. Weasley, I am quite aware that you do not like to pay attention in my classes and am familiar with your habits when you are choosing to disengage, but I am surprised that you would select such behavior at these meetings, particularly with the situation that your brother is in."

"I don't care about these meetings!" Ron almost shouted, not caring how rude he sounded at that moment. "My brother's body is laying in a bed upstairs with all of his insides missing! And I'm supposed to care that Essa thought someone grabbed her wrist?"

"Yes, Mr. Weasley, you should absolutely care! I understand how you must feel right now with that little girl at St. Mungo's, oh yes, I know all about it," she said when Ron gave her a questioning look. "It is a difficult time for you with having to deal with her and your brother and school and the Order, but it is a responsibility you must take upon yourself and do what is needed of you."

"I didn't ask for any of this!" he shouted.

"No, one usually does not _ask_ for a full plate. I, for one, did not _ask_ to be Headmistress, Professor of Transfiguration, _and_ an active member of the Order of the Phoenix, but here I am doing what is necessary."

"You don't have to do all of those things, you choose to," Ron grumbled.

"As deputy Headmistress, should anything happen to the Headmaster, it was my responsibility to step up. Should I have abandoned all the students that needed my help? When the Carrows were torturing innocent students, should I have _chosen_ to let them? Many times, Mr. Weasley, choices are already made for us, even if it seems that we do have the ability to decide. I decided to walk the path of light and not darkness and therefore had everything chosen for me from that point on. What path do you walk, Mr. Weasley?" When Ron didn't answer her, she continued. "I should hope it is light. Now stand up tall and take Ms. Johnson upstairs to see your brother. I shall see you tomorrow at the Ball, Monday in class, and at every Order meeting listening intently. And I shall forget the ignorance you portrayed today."

Ron watched her walk away, disgruntled. It was easy for her to say, all she had to do was teach a bunch of students, she didn't lose people close to her. He walked up to Angelina and grabbed her arm. "Come on," he mumbled, "George is this way."

 **Hermione Granger – The Past**

 **September 17, 1999**

Hermione sat at The Three Broomsticks drinking her butterbeer and reading _Hogwarts: A History_ for what must have been the hundredth time. It was very different reading the book post-war, knowing that many of the beautiful features described in the book no longer existed, thanks to the battle. Still, it was a nice memory for her and a great distraction from her current situation.

"I vould haff thought you had that memorized by now. At Durmstrang, we haff to haff it memorized by our first year."

Hermione smiled at the familiar man in front of her. "Actually, it's not a requirement to read at Hogwarts, I just love it. I've read it at least seventy times."

The man chuckled. "It is vonderful to see you, Hermione."

"And you too, Viktor," she said, as she stood up and hugged the famous international quidditch player, Viktor Krum. "What brings you to Hogsmeade?" she asked him.

"I vas told a very pretty vitch vould be here today, vaiting to haff a drink vith me," he said to her.

Hermione laughed, "Is that so? Well had I known the Bulgarian Seeker would have been here, I would have brought a second book. I hear he likes to sit in libraries and read."

He smiled at her. "If I am to be honest, I only sat in that library for hours to see you, I vould prefer a broom over a book any day."

She laughed again. "Well you definitely had me fooled!"

"Good! So how are things wiff you? It has been vay too long."

"They… Well actually, they could be better, but I'm okay, trying to finish up school and move on to other things, you know? Trying to do some work at the Ministry as well as St. Mungo's."

"Are you seeing anyone?" he asked her.

"Wow, abrupt, aren't you?" she said, with a hint of a smile in her eyes.

"The last time I saw you at Fleur's vedding, you vere vith Veasley."

"Uh, no, definitely not with Ron! I was, but that didn't last very long."

"Sorry to say but I am happy to hear that," he said as he slowly moved his hands across the table towards her. "The truth is, I haff not stopped thinking about you, Hermione. I vould haff told you all this sooner but I thought I vas too late." Hermione caught on to what he was trying to do with his hands and she slowly retracted hers. That however did not seem to stop Viktor. "Vould it be too forward if I asked you to haff dinner with me?"

"Viktor," Hermione started. "That's really sweet but I actually just got out of a relationship."

"I am not asking you to marry me, not right now at least," he said with a wink. "But our time spent together during the tournament vas not enough time for us to get to know each other and I vould really like to get to know you much better." He took Hermione's silence as a way to go ahead with some plans. "How about two days from now? I vill meet you here, yes?"

"Two days from now is..."

"Your birthday, I did not forget."

Hermione smiled. It really was sweet of Viktor to try and do something special for her birthday, and she could really use a distraction from her broken heart. "Alright," she gave in. "Two days from today."

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** I don't know about any other writer who works with Krum, but writing in his accent is hard. I catch myself missing W's all the time! On another note, I've been asked why we do not see much interaction between Ron and Hermione. To answer that, Ron, first off, does not forgive Hermione for kissing Malfoy, and we all know how well Ron can hold a grudge! Secondly, Ron isn't focused on much right now except for George and Amelia. Give it time, there will be plenty of interaction between them eventually.


	13. The Second Yule Ball

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Thirteen: The Second Yule Ball**

 **Draco Malfoy – Present Day**

 **November 20, 1999**

Wow, he thought, she was absolutely beautiful. Hermione had arrived outside of the Slytherin common room to pick up Draco for the Ball. She was wearing a long, tight (Merlin help him) black, sleeveless dress that hugged her in all the right places. Her usual bushy hair was now tamed, with several loose curls going down to the middle of her back.

"Ready?" she asked him. He nodded, still too stunned to speak. He followed her towards the main hall, watching the way she moved in her marvelous outfit. "You're very quiet today," she said to him.

"Just wondering who my date is," he lied to her.

"You'll see. We got ready together you know, she looks marvelous." There was a mischievous look on her face and Draco wondered what was in store for him. They entered the front entrance where everyone had started to gather, waiting for the doors that led to the Ball to open. The pair stood near the marble staircase, waiting for their dates. Any one coming from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons had been put on a list and was checked in by Filch at the apparating point before being allowed to enter the castle. "Oh, here comes your date!" Hermione said happily. Draco turned and watched a short blonde walk down the stairs towards them.

"You're joking? Lovegood?" he asked incredulously. Well, at least she looks normal today, he thought to himself. Luna Lovegood walked towards him. She had her long blonde hair down in waves, and was wearing a short silvery dress that was tight at the top and puffed out around the hips.

"Hello, Draco, hello, Hermione!" she said dreamily.

"Hello, Luna, thank you so much for agreeing to this!" Hermione said enthusiastically.

"No problem, I'm sure Draco and I are going to have a great time, aren't we?" she smiled over at Draco. When he didn't respond, she continued, "Take my arm, Draco, that's what a good date would do." Hermione couldn't contain her laughter.

"I'll get you for this, Granger," he whispered to her. She chuckled but didn't reply.

"Oh look, there's Viktor," Luna said, staring towards the open front doors where Viktor Krum was walking in. Draco watched Hermione's smile falter; he wondered what was up with her.

"Hello, love," she said as she tiptoed to kiss her boyfriend hello.

"Hermione, you look immaculate," he said, looking her over from head to toe.

"Hello, I don't think we have properly met, I am Luna Lovegood," said Luna, extending her hand and giggling when Viktor kissed it.

"The pleasure is mine, Luna," he said, before slightly glancing toward Draco. "And I thank you for vatching him tonight," he said, nodding towards Draco.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Hello, Krum," he said, extending his hand. Viktor shook the extended hand firmly.

"I am looking forward to tonight vith my beautiful girlfriend. She deserves time away from her babysitting duties."

Draco squeezed his hand a little tighter. "Jealous, Krum?"

Hermione instantly picked up on the tension building up between the pair. "Oh, look, there's Harry!" she said, trying to distract the men.

"Hey," said Harry, as he joined the group. The five of them made small talk for a short while, and it wasn't long before the doors to the Ball finally opened. Draco took a deep breath and slightly reluctantly, took the arm of Luna and joined the queue to enter their second Yule Ball.

 **Harry Potter – Present Day**

 **November 20, 1999**

Harry stood to the side and allowed everyone to enter the Ball ahead of him. He knew that he and Ginny were having problems, but was she really going to stay away? Almost everyone had entered the Ball except for a few stragglers waiting on dates, and Harry was running out of excuses for standing there on his own. Defeated, he turned to enter the Ball, but from the corner of his eye he saw the most stunning image he had ever seen. Ginny descended the marble staircase in the tallest, blackest heels she owned. Her black hair was down and curly, and almost gave her a Slytherin look. What was completely mesmerizing, however, was the very short and very tight red dress that she was wearing. She walked towards him without saying a word.

"Red looks fantastic on you," he said, wondering how much could be seen if she were to bend down. Ginny smirked but said nothing, grabbing his arm and leading him into the Ball. They joined their friends at their designated table of eight. Harry held out Ginny's chair for her as she sat on Viktor's right. Across from Viktor and Hermione sat the odd couple of Draco and Luna. Harry took his seat next to Ginny, staring at the empty seats across from him that should have seated Ron and Jessica. "Where's Ron and Jessica?" Harry asked the table. Nobody knew where they were, however, and before someone offered to get their galleon and find out, dinner was served and they focused instead on their empty stomachs. Half way through their delicious meal of turkey, ribs, steak, mashed potatoes, yam, rice, salad, and a few other things that Harry had never heard of, Ron and Jessica finally made it to their table.

"Sorry we are late," Ron said to the table as he held Jessica's chair out. "We had to travel here the muggle way." Ron, of course, dove right into his meal, never missing out on food, and frowning at the fact that there was no chicken being served. Dessert had followed of course and after filling up on pumpkin pie and two helpings of treacle tart, Harry couldn't eat another bite. There wasn't much conversation happening at his table. Ron was still mad at him, as was Ginny, so neither of them were talking to him. There seemed to be tension between Malfoy and Krum so there was no conversation there, either. Harry tried his best to get the table more involved.

"How's quidditch going, Viktor?" he asked the man to Hermione's right.

"Vonderful as always, Bulgaria is in first place."

"What's quidditch?" asked Jessica.

"It's a sport played on broomsticks. I play on the school team, but Viktor plays professionally," Ron told her.

"Harry and Draco play on the school team as well," Luna chimed in. "But against each other." The conversation remained as dull and soon, Harry found himself wondering when he could leave. It wasn't long before the dance floor was open and Viktor was on his feet.

"Shall ve?" he asked, his arm extended to Hermione. She smiled as she grabbed his hand.

"Draco, Luna, join us please!" she asked them.

Luna stood but Draco didn't move. "I don't want to dance," he told her.

"She told you to dance," Viktor said rudely. "Listen to the one who is in charge." Draco's eyes were shooting daggers at Viktor, but he grabbed Luna's hand and followed Viktor and Hermione to the dance floor.

Harry looked over at Ginny. "I don't suppose...?"

"Let's go," she said, standing up and heading towards the dance floor. They danced silently for a while until Harry could no longer stand it.

"Are you going to talk to me?" he asked her.

"Are you going to induct me?" she asked in return.

"Can we not talk about that and just have a good time?" he said angrily.

"Ginny shrugged. "I am having a good time." There was more silence until Ginny decided to break it. "You didn't think I would come, did you?"

"No, I didn't."

"I'm still your girlfriend, Harry."

"Then why are you acting this way?"

"You know why. You have whatever stupid reason to keep me from the Order, but to not tell me about George?"

"How do you know about...?" Harry was stunned.

"That doesn't matter, what matters is that nobody decided to tell me!"

"Where's my invisibility cloak?" Harry asked angrily.

"It's safe."

"I want it back."

"You'll get it back when I'm done with it."

"Ginny!"

Ginny let go of Harry and started to walk towards the exit. "You're not making decisions for me anymore, Harry." And with that, she turned and walked out of the Ball.

 **Ron Weasley – Present Day**

 **November 20, 1999**

"Are you enjoying yourself?" Ron asked Jessica.

She shrugged. "I guess, but I can't get Amelia out of my mind. What if there's a change?"

"Then Mum would owl me. Come on, let's dance, you need to get your mind off of stuff." The pair of them hit the dance floor but not much dancing was done. Perhaps because Jessica's mind was elsewhere and also because Ron hated dancing, the pair mostly rocked back and forth and watched the people around them instead.

"Look at how he's dancing," Jessica laughed, pointing at Seamus shaking his body and hopping around.

"How about her?" Ron said, pointing to a young Slytherin girl who had her head tilted to the side and was swinging her arms down low. The pair continued to laugh at other students to the point that they were no longer dancing themselves, but instead walking around and inconspicuously pointing. Jessica stopped near a pair dancing toward the centre of the dance floor.

"Wow, look at her," she breathed. Ron turned his head and looked at who Jessica was referring to. She was tall and beautiful. Her long white blonde hair hang in loose curls past her mid back. She wore a white-silvery gown that flowed around her legs. The dress was tight around her bodice and emanated a beautiful glow. Goodness, Essa truly was beautiful. Ron snapped out of it very quickly, however, grabbed Jessica's hand, and stormed out of the room.

"What the heck, Ron!" Jessica said, pulling her arm free when they reached the main entrance.

"Who was she with, did you see?"

"No, he had his head down on her shoulder. Why, who is she?"

Ron was taking deep breaths, trying to calm his anger. "My ex," he said.

Jessica's voice faltered. "You're that upset about seeing your ex?" she asked sadly.

Ron looked at Jessica; clearly she misunderstood his anger. "My ex doesn't go to Hogwarts, she goes to another wizarding school, Beauxbatons. The rule is if you want to attend and you aren't from Hogwarts, you can only do so if you go with someone from here."

"Okay?" Jessica said, not understanding.

Ron sighed. "Nobody knows Essa and I broke up, I told you, it was recent, remember? I don't care that she's here with someone, I care that someone would take her when in their mind, she is still my girlfriend." There was some truth to what Ron was saying to her. Clearly, someone was stabbing him in the back, but what bothered him more was the fact that Essa chose to go with another Hogwarts student. Before Ron could find out who that student was, he felt his pocket grow hot. He took out his galleon to see Ginny's serial number appear. Why would she be messaging him, wasn't she just inside the Ball?

 _Get to St. Mungo's, now._

"Why are you staring at a coin?" Jessica asked him, trying to grab it from him.

He pocketed the galleon immediately. "We have to go; Now. I think it's Amelia."

 **Harry Potter – The Past**

 **May 4, 1998**

Fred's funeral had quite a large turnout. He expected there to be less people as many had lost loved ones in the battle and had their own funerals to attend do, but it seemed as if all of Hogwarts had come to pay their final respects to Fred. Similar to the only other funeral Harry had attended, which was Dumbledore's in his sixth year, Fred's body had been laid in a tomb at the front of a very large gathering at his Auntie Muriel's. Harry had learned that Muriel owned the most property and every Weasley that had passed on was buried on one of her lands. In front of Fred's tomb, there were rows upon rows of folding chairs, and every seat had been filled. The front row consisted of all the Weasley's and Harry, the latter being forced there by a distraught Mrs. Weasley. Fred's father, Arthur Weasley, had been the first to face the large group and say his eulogy.

"A parent should never have to bury their child," he started. Yeah, thought Harry, a parent truly should not, and that child should not have died because of him. He had only picked up on pieces of what Mr. Weasley was saying, as his thoughts were elsewhere. They were indeed on Fred, but mostly on how it was his, Harry's, fault, that he was dead. He hadn't realized that Mr. Weasley had stepped down and Mrs. Weasley was now approaching the podium. She stood there for quite some time fumbling with a piece of parchment, probably the eulogy that she had written, but after a few moments she shook her head and sat down, crying too hard to present her eulogy.

Bill took her place at the podium and presented his own eulogy. "I have many brothers, but none are like Fred." Harry sat and watched Bill, followed, by Charlie, followed by Percy. All three brothers presented beautiful memories of their late brother and guilt pulled at Harry more and more at each word said.

"I should have never told a joke, Fred knows I don't joke. I distracted him and now he is gone. I will never tell a joke again," Percy finished, and he sat down next to his mother, tears splashing down his face.

Harry was almost doubled over in pain. Percy was blaming himself for Fred's death even though it was not fault. He looked up at the podium and held his breath as he saw that it was George's turn next.

"Fred was my brother, my twin, and my best friend. We wouldn't have the success that we do if not for him. I was the good looking one," he chuckled, and many followed suit, "but he was the brains. Fred was..." he swallowed, trying hard to continue. "Fred was... He was..." George couldn't finish. Not realizing what he was doing, Harry stood up and went immediately to George.

"I'm sorry," he whispered to him, but George shook him off and stormed away. Harry made to walk back to his seat, but Mr. Weasley stopped him.

"It's okay, son," he said to Harry. "You may go ahead and deliver your eulogy now."

His eulogy? He hadn't planned to deliver one. He stood at the podium dumb-struck, staring out at all of Fred's family and friends. What could he possibly say to all these people about the person who died thanks to him?

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Okay, I get it, you hate Harry's treatment of Ginny right now, lol! You have my word that this will change, I promise! (By the way, those of you inboxing me, please feel free to review as well!) For the current readers who hate Harry right now, I think you'll appreciate chapter nineteen! Also, in terms of the Weasleys, you need to remember that Molly Weasley has never been okay with her children being a part of the Order. If you remember in JK's HP and the Order of the Phoenix, she doesn't even want Fred and George to join, even though they are of age. With that said, I think that explains why she is okay with Harry choosing to leave Ginny out of the Order, probably very grateful, actually. The story is going to take an interesting turn right around Christmas, so keep an eye on the dates!


	14. The New God

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Fourteen: The New God**

 **Ginny Weasley – Present Day**

 **November 20, 1999**

Ginny apparated at St. Mungo's and headed straight for Amelia's room. She saw her Mum outside of the room, knitting needles in the air and her wand guiding them, probably knitting a sweater with an "A" on it for Amelia.

"Ginny, Dear," she said when she saw her only daughter approach her. "Shouldn't you be at the ball?"

"I wanted to talk to you before Ron and Jessica came back." Molly Weasley put down her wand and stopped her knitting, and gave her full attention to Ginny. "Mum, Jessica needs to know that Amelia is a witch."

"Ginny, that is not up to us to do. When she turns eleven, someone from Hogwarts will inform her, and until then, we act as if we do not know."

"But this is ridiculous! Amelia is in there fighting for her life! Jessica needs to know, Mum!"

"Ginevra, don't you go and say anything!" said Molly, using her authority over her daughter.

"Yeah, keeping more secrets from people. Just like you're keeping George from me!"

Molly looked back and forth before replying to her. "How do you know?" she whispered.

"It doesn't matter, you can keep secrets from me but I won't do that to Jessica." Ginny walked into the room and stared at the motionless little girl. She was so small, she could not be more than two years of age. Ginny's rage increased as she watched Amelia. They were keeping the truth from Jessica, the girl's mother, but it wasn't right. Ginny was already at war with her family, so what was yet another reason to be? She had made up her mind, she was going to tell Jessica. Slight movement coming from Amelia's hand caught her eye.

"Ginny, Dear," came her Mum's voice, very cautiously. "About George…" Molly, however, stopped dead in her tracks. There were several sparks coming from each of Amelia's hands. "What did you do?" Molly said, exasperated.

"I didn't do anything!" said Ginny, with attitude in her voice. "Isn't it just accidental magic? All witches and wizards experience cases of it, don't they?"

"I don't think this is accidental magic. I shall go get Healer Martus."

As Molly went to find the head Healer, Ginny grabbed her galleon and messaged Ron. Jessica needed to be here and she needed to know the truth once and for all. Molly returned rather quickly with the Healer, just as Ginny slipped the galleon back into her bag. Healer Martus had them leave the room as a group of healers entered. Ginny and Molly sat in silence for awhile in the hallway, waiting.

"I suppose I should Owl Ron," Molly was saying.

"I already messaged him with my galleon. It will take them awhile since they have to travel the muggle way, but they should be here soon enough."

"You shouldn't have done that, Ginny, I never said to..."

"I know that, Mum, you never tell me anything anymore. The George conversation isn't over, but right now it's about Amelia, and her mother needs to know what's going on."

"Ginevra Molly Weasley, I understand that you are upset but you do not take that tone with me!"

The mother and daughter sat in complete silence, until Ron and Jessica came running up the corridor in their Yule Ball attire, sweat dripping down the both of them.

"What's going on, is Amelia okay?" Jessica asked nervously.

Ginny took a deep breath. "There's something you need to know."

 **Hermione Granger – Present Day**

 **November 20, 1999**

Hermione, Viktor, Luna, and Draco exited the ball flushed and sweaty.

"Thank you for your help, Luna," Hermione said to her friend.

"I, uh, enjoyed myself too, thanks," Draco said awkwardly to her.

Luna smiled. "Anytime, you're a great dancer, Draco!"

Hermione turned to Viktor. "I'll be right back, I'll just take Draco to his common room." Viktor nodded, but took Hermione in for a tight hug and a long kiss, all the while staring at Draco. Hermione and Draco walked silently side by side to the dungeons. It had been a long evening of dancing, and they had been among the last few people to leave. It wasn't long before they arrived in front of the Slytherin common room. "Well, goodnight," she said to Draco, turning to leave.

"Wait," Draco called out. Hermione turned back to him, a look of curiosity on her face. "Don't go," he asked her.

"Why? What do you need?"

"No, I mean..." Draco looked upset; he took a deep breath. "Don't go to Krum's tonight, stay here, at Hogwarts."

"Why?" asked Hermione, puzzled.

"Hermione, I know I screwed up, but I think if you give me a chance to explain..."

"No, Draco, no, stop!" She knew what he was getting at and she was not going to allow it. "Don't do this, you will not ruin this for me. Get in that common room, now!"

Draco hesitated. "No."

"What do you mean, _no_? I'm leaving, you need to go in there."

"I won't, not until I know you won't go to Krum's."

Hermione could not believe what was going on at that moment. "You're joking, right? Draco, I am leaving. You know the rules, if I cannot watch you, you are to be in your common room. Now get in there!"

Draco folded his arms and leaned against the wall. "Make me," he smiled.

"Make you?" she shrieked. "This isn't a game!"

"I don't know, I'm kind of enjoying it now, actually," he said.

"You are such an ass, Draco Malfoy. I am leaving, goodbye!"

"Bye, Granger, just remember though, we both go to Azkaban if you walk away."

Hermione stopped dead in her tracks and turned to face him, daggers shooting out of her eyes. "How dare you! After everything I have done for you?"

Draco held his hands up in defense. "I never asked for any of it, but I am asking for this." He moved closer to her, but she backed away.

"You don't get to make the rules," she said, slightly quieter this time.

"I have obeyed all of your rules and have asked for nothing. This is what I am asking for. Have you and Krum...?"

"What I do with my boyfriend is my business!" She snapped.

"Answer me, and I'll go in my common room," he offered.

"Fine, no we have not." She watched Draco smile. Hermione had never slept with anyone, not even Draco, although her and Draco had gotten really close. She prided herself on waiting, however, and had no intentions of sleeping with Viktor tonight, either.

"Okay, I'll go, but you know that's what he's expecting, right?"

Hermione didn't reply. No, she did not know that. He simply wanted her to visit his Estate, and spend the night, and, oh dear, Viktor wanted to sleep with her! "How do you know?" she asked him quietly.

"Sorry, Granger, I have to go," he said, and he walked into his common room.

Hermione walked back towards Viktor as slowly as possible. How could she not have realized what Viktor's intent was? She felt incredibly stupid as she neared the location where Viktor was waiting for her.

"Ready?" he asked her, a large grin on his face.

Hermione hesitated. "Viktor, I'm sorry, but, I don't feel well." She didn't look at him when she turned and headed for the grand staircase. "I'm really sorry, I'll galleon you when I'm feeling better." She hurried away, slightly guilty, and took a back staircase that lead to the dungeons.

 _Get out here, right now!_

It wasn't long before Draco came out of his common room, a large smirk on his face. "Shouldn't you be in someone's bed right now?"

"Shut up, Draco!" she said. How does someone go from begging you to stay, to being a total obnoxious git? "How did you know what Viktor wanted?"

Draco snorted. "It's obvious, it's what every man wants!"

Hermione froze. Draco laughed at her reaction but she quickly composed herself. "Let's talk about Crabbe," she demanded.

It was time for Draco's demeanour to change. "No."

"Why?"

"I- I can't, Hermione."

"I didn't go to Viktor's for you!" she yelled.

"Vell, I expected there vas a reason, but I didn't expect it to be this."

Hermione spun around and her heart sank. Viktor was standing there, and he had just heard Hermione say that she had stayed behind for Draco.

 **Gellert Grindelwald – Present Day**

 **November 21, 1999**

"Thank you, Pius," he said, as he accepted the chicken and bread that his servant handed him.

"Of course, but wouldn't you prefer much better food?"

Gellert chuckled. "When you spend many years in prison eating nothing but scraps, this here is a feast."

Pius nodded. "Shall we continue then, Master?" he asked him.

"Yes, I think we should. Now we last left off, I believe, with the story of the Giants?"

"Yes, Master, The Dark Lord sent-"

"Pius, what have I told you about calling him The Dark Lord? He is not a Lord! The fool made seven horcruxes and still died at the hands of a teenager! No, call him by his real name, Riddle, as that's all he was anyway, a joke."

"Yes, Master, so he sent some of us to consult with the Giants, Greyback led the group."

"He sent a werewolf to consult with the Giants?"

"Yes, Master, he wanted the Giants to see that he treated non-humans properly."

"Hm, clever." He took a bite of his chicken. "Continue, Pius."

"So, he met with the Gurg, that's the-"

"Yes, yes, head Giant, continue."

"And the Gurg agreed, and those who didn't went into hiding, but Greyback killed them. Got in real big trouble for it, though."

"Yes, that's one thing Riddle and I agreed on, the unnecessary spill of magical blood was truly a waste. I don't know if I would consider Giants having magical blood, however..." Gellert was lost in thought. He shrugged his shoulders after awhile. "So, he acquired the Giants. All the good that did for him!" he laughed.

"He wanted numbers, that was always important to The Dark Lord."

"What did I tell you, Pius? How can you call that man a Lord? He accomplished nothing! I can be the first to admit defeat, and yes, Dumbledore did defeat me, but yet here I stand! Can Riddle say the same? I may have lost a battle, but this is a war, and this war is mine! No, Riddle is not a Lord. I am a Lord! Better yet, Pius, I am a God!"

 **Sirius Black – The Past**

 **December 26, 1995**

"You were so cheerful before Christmas, what's changed?" Remus Lupin asked him.

"Harry is leaving soon, Remus, and I'm stuck in this excuse of a house."

Remus laid a hand on his best friend's shoulder. "Harry is not too far, and he is in your life now, the way it should be, Sirius, you should be happy."

"Of course I'm happy, Remus, but now I don't know when I'll see him next, Dumbledore won't let him come this summer."

"You know very well that in order for Lily's protection to work, he needs to be with his muggle family."

"Rubbish, Remus! Who can protect Harry better than us?"

"Lily was his Mother, she chose to protect him this way and so, we must respect that."

"Lily is dead, Remus!" Sirius shouted.

"Yes, thank you, Sirius, I am aware. But her final act was to protect her son. Besides, you know Dumbledore will bring him here for a period of time, even if it isn't for the whole summer." Sirius didn't reply, but Remus continued on the subject of Harry anyway. "Have you told him, Sirius?"

"No, it's not that easy."

"Sirius, you really should-"

"Don't you think I bloody well know?" Sirius yelled. He sighed deeply, he did not mean to yell at his friend. "For sure Dumbledore will bring him by before Harry enters his sixth year?"

"I am almost certain."

"Very well," Sirius nodded. "Then I will tell him this summer."

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** To the lovely "Guest" who mentioned Arthur Weasley, you hit the nail right on the head! Stay tuned for chapter 19 ;) Let's talk about Grindelwald for a second... Since his character has not been fully developed in the HP world (Fantastic Beasts will give us plenty of insight but since that won't be for awhile, I get to create his personality myself) I have decided to base his personality around that of Negan's from Walking Dead (for non-walking dead fans, I truly don't know how to explain it lol) You'll see a detailed side of him in chapter 19 (that's a biggy, that chapter 19!) I enjoy reading what people think so please continue to review/message. The next chapter is going to start to build a new _unique_ relationship... Enjoy! Oh, one more thing... Someone asked about the flashbacks.. I know that they are currently all over the place right now (that's the point) they will all tie in at some point so nothing will be left unanswered (such as Sirius' secret).


	15. Malfoy Versus Krum

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Fifteen: Malfoy Versus Krum**

 **Draco Malfoy – Present Day**

 **November 21, 1999**

"Viktor, wait, it's not what you think!" Hermione made to go after Krum, but Draco grabbed her arm.

"Hermione, leave him, it's better this way," Draco pleaded with her.

"I will not leave him," she yelled, as she ran through the halls, trying to catch up with Viktor. "He is my boyfriend! Viktor!" she continued to yell.

Draco ran with her, trying to convince her otherwise. He caught up with her just inside of Hogwart's main gates. "Stop running," he panted, doubling over to catch his breath.

"He's apparated, he's gone. I need to get to his estate, he needs to understand!" Hermione was frantic.

"Hermione, calm down, it's after midnight, you can clear things up in the morning," he tried to reason with her.

"You would like that, wouldn't you?" she said, turning on him. "This is all your fault! Get back to the common room, I'll deal with you later!"

"You need to take me there, Hermione," Draco sighed.

"You are seriously going to start this right now?"

"I'm doing it to protect you. If anyone sees me without you, we will both go to Azkaban. Let's just go back to the castle, I will help you fix this tomorrow, I promise."

"No," Hermione said sternly. She grabbed his arm and dragged him outside of the gates and apparated them to a small little house.

"Where are we?" he asked, knowing that the property in front of him was far too small to belong to Krum.

"Harry's house. He's been to Viktor's estate to play quidditch before, he will be able to tell me what apparating points to take to get there."

"Potter has a house?"

Hermione ignored him and banged on Harry's door. A frantic Harry opened the door in a pair of boxers. "What's going on?" he said, disoriented.

"Harry, you never open your door in the middle of the night without your wand, have I not taught you anything? Never mind, move over, we are coming in!" Hermione pushed her way past Harry and Draco followed her in.

"What's going on, Hermione?" Harry asked, eyeing Draco.

"Can you tell me how to get to Viktor's estate?" she asked him, as she had never been there herself.

"Sure," Harry shrugged.

She sighed in relief. "Thank you!" She then turned to Draco. "I need you to stay here. Draco, look at me, this is serious. Stay here and listen to Harry, if anyone ever finds out..."

"Your life isn't the only one at stake. Go," he said, defeated. Draco walked around Potter's living room while he escorted Hermione to the nearest apparition point, giving her directions to Krum's Estate. It wasn't long before Potter returned, and the two men stared at each other in silence for awhile.

"Can you put some pants on, Potter?" Draco finally spoke.

"What? Oh," he said, looking down and realizing he was in nothing but his boxers. "Come up with me, I'll give you a change of clothes too, get you out of your dress robes, if you want."

Draco nodded his thanks. They entered Harry's room and Draco was given a change of clothes and directed to the bathroom. He changed fairly quickly and walked back to Potter's room and looked around. He picked up a photograph of a witch and wizard that was sitting on Harry's dresser.

"These your parents?" he asked him.

"Yeah," Harry replied.

Draco stared at the photo for awhile. "You look like your father, but you have-"

"My mother's eyes, yeah," Harry smiled. "Hungry?"

"I could eat."

The pair headed to Harry's kitchen and made a sandwich in silence. They began eating across from one another when Harry finally spoke.

"So, what happened with Hermione and Krum?" Harry asked Draco.

"She bailed on him last minute," he said between bites, "then he found her with me and got angry."

"He found her with you?"

"Not like that, Potter, although, that's probably what Krum thinks," Draco laughed.

"Why was she with you, anyway?" Harry asked.

"Because my only way out of my common room is by her, so she is pretty much always with me."

Harry glared at him. "Krum knows that, so obviously, that's not the full story, Malfoy!"

Draco smirked, "Maybe he heard her say she ditched him for me."

Harry frowned. "Why would she say that?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "She didn't want to go, isn't it obvious?"

"If she didn't want to go, she wouldn't have gone chasing him now! What did you do?"

Draco didn't speak again until he was done his sandwich. "Nothing, I simply reminded her of Krum's intentions and she wasn't interested, then she came back to my common room. I can't control where she goes… Can I have another sandwich?"

"You still like her." It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

"That sandwich, Potter, I'm making another, alright?"

"She has a boyfriend, Malfoy, you had your chance and you hurt her, I'm not going to let you do it again."

"Relax, Potter, don't go all big brother on me!" he finished his sandwich and joined Harry again at the table. Harry glared at him the entire time he ate, abandoning his own sandwich to interrogate Draco. "What?" Draco said, with a mouth full of food. He sighed and put down his half-eaten sandwich. "I know, Potter, okay? I screwed up. I should have stopped my Mother, but I didn't, _I couldn't,_ and now I've lost my prize. It's just how my family is, I know that it's wrong but…" he scratched his head vigorously. "Not everyone can have perfect parents," he mumbled.

'My parents weren't perfect," Harry told him quietly.

Draco arched his eyebrows. "The couple that was killed by the Dark Lord while trying to protect their baby, not perfect?" he said, disbelievingly.

"When my father was at Hogwarts, he once tormented a student so badly, that he had him upside down and took off his knickers in front of a large crowd."

"You're joking?"

Harry shook his head. "My mum couldn't stand my father until her seventh year. Trust me, I may not know much about them, but my father was far from perfect."

They sat silently for a few moments. "He really pulled his knicker's off? Are you sure that your father wasn't a Slytherin?" The two men laughed.

"So, what about Hermione, then?" Harry asked him.

"What about her?"

"Are you just going to let Krum keep her?"

"No!"

Harry smiled. "So?"

Draco shrugged. "What can I do, Potter? I called her a Mudblood!"

Harry studied Draco for quite sometime. Just as Draco was starting to feel uncomfortable, Harry spoke. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but, I'll help you."

 **Ron Weasley – Present Day**

 **November 21, 1999**

"What do you mean sparks are coming out of her hands?" Jessica asked, panickedly.

"Jessica, Dear," Molly started, hesitantly. "Sometimes when a child accidentally does magic, it could have some side effects."

"Oh, Mum, cut the crap!" Ginny snapped.

"Ginny!" Molly yelled, in complete shock.

"Jessica, I'm just going to say it; Amelia is a witch!"

"What?" Jessica looked confused.

"Either Nigel was a Wizard, or she's a muggle-born, but a muggle cannot make a wand work no matter how hard they try, which makes her a witch."

"Ginny!" Ron hissed.

"No, stop lying to her, it's not right!"

"This can't be," Jessica said to herself, clearly trying (but failing) to comprehend the situation.

"Well it is, that's why Ron was able to apparate her here, and that's why Ron's wand ignited in her hands."

Jessica's expression changed from confusion, to sorrow, to anger. She turned to Ron. "You knew? This whole time _you knew?"_

"Jessica, Dear," Molly said softly, while shooting daggers with her eyes at her daughter, "it's a delicate situation. The Wizarding world has a process on how they inform muggle parent's if their child shows signs of magic, it wasn't for Ron or any of us to-"

But Jessica wasn't listening. "Get out," she said to Ron quietly.

"What?"

"I said, GET OUT!"

"Ginny, Ron, get going," Molly told them.

"But Mum-"

"Not now, Ronald! I will talk to her. You two leave for now, go home, I shall meet you there."

Ron headed outside in anger, looking for his little sister, who had taken off much quicker than he had anticipated. He waited for over an hour until his mother finally came out.

"Why aren't you at home, Dear? I said we would meet there."

"It doesn't matter, Ginny won't be there. Why did she do it, Mum?"

"Oh, Ron, I don't know but I think it's because she is mad at us. She's found out about George."

Ron nodded, "I'll deal with her later. How's Jess?"

"You will not _deal with her_ , Ronald! And Jessica, well, it's come as a great shock for her. She's agreed, however, to allow me to keep visiting. I'm going to go now and get her some clothes, the poor thing is still in that gown that Ginny had lent to her for the Ball."

"What about me, Mum, can I go see her now?"

Molly frowned. "She's rather upset that you didn't tell her anything. I know you wanted you, but," she sighed. "Give her time, Ron, she will come around."

Ron watched his mother apparate, probably to the Burrow to borrow some of Ginny's clothes for Jessica. He instead headed towards Grimmauld Place. If he couldn't visit Amelia, he would visit the other person in his life who couldn't wake up.

 **Viktor Krum – Present Day**

 **November 21, 1999**

Viktor opened the main door of his estate to see his beautiful girlfriend Hermione standing there, with pure fear on her face.

"Viktor, please let me explain, I beg of you!" She was indeed begging, and he was too much a gentleman to turn her away. He opened the door wider and moved aside for her to enter. He watched her turn to him and furrow her brow. She was clearly thinking hard about what to say.

"What you heard me say to Draco was not what it sounded like." He studied her face but kept his arms folded across his chest. She sighed several times before speaking again. "As you know, I'm a member of the Order of the Phoenix and I am prohibited to speak about what he do, however, I need information from Draco and I therefore used the opportunity and _pretended_ to stay behind for him so that he would potentially give me the required information."

"Ver you successful?" Viktor finally asked her.

"No," she frowned.

"And you are sick?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No," Hermione almost whined, deciding to sit down on the nearest sofa. "I- I lied about that."

"Clearly."

"Viktor, I-" Hermione was struggling with her response.

"You know vat, Hermione? If you cannot be honest vith me, then vy are you even here? Maybe you should leave."

"Viktor, please! You don't understand!"

"Vy don't you try, you vould be surprised vith vat I can comprehend," he said angrily.

"I was afraid, okay?" she nearly yelled at him.

"Afraid of vat?" he said, still angry.

"I-" she took a large breath and spoke very quietly. "I've never slept with anyone before and I wasn't ready."

The look he gave her showed that he wasn't convinced. "You think I vas bringing you here just for that? You think I vould not respect your answer if I had tried and you said no?"

"No," Hermione said quietly, "I know you would respect me."

"Then that is obviously an excuse! I love you Hermione, but perhaps ve cannot be together, I do not do vell vith secrets!"

"There are no secrets, it's the truth!"

"Then vy didn't you come? You spend too much time vith Malfoy, more than necessary, even vith the rules of your Ministry! Vith my career and everything you do, ve haff to spend plenty of time apart; I need to be able to trust you and I do not!"

"Then what can I do?" she asked, tears rolling down her cheeks. "How can I prove it to you?"

Viktor was quiet at first. He did not want to lose his beautiful witch, but he was not allowing her to be around Malfoy without him watching. "You are almost done school, no?"

"I have two more NEWTs left," she said quietly, a confused look coming across her face.

"Then move in here vith me."

"What?"

"Move in here. I live alone here and the Estate is much too big for just me. You are my girlfriend, ve are adults, ve should be living together."

"I, uh, I'm…" Hermione stammered incoherently.

"I guess that is a problem, too," Viktor said, turning away.

"No!" she said desperately, trying to hold on to the broken relationship. "It's just that I've never given much thought to where I would go after Hogwarts. My parent's home is…"

"Gone. They sold it ven they moved to Australia."

Hermione nodded sadly, remembering the decision that she had had to make in the past. "I have nowhere to go," she said, more to herself.

"Then come here," Viktor said, his voice much softer as he moved towards her. "Ve can be happy here. Ve barely see each other because of our busy lives, it vould be nice to come home to each other and spend more time together."

"But Draco," she said frowning.

"I know the stipulations put upon you, hopefully they vill be gone soon. But until then, I haff an entire ving that he can use. You can put the same enchantments that are on his common room on the ving. Ven you are not vith him, he vill be safe there. The Ministry knows you vill be leaving Hogwarts soon, they vill expect him to live vith you anyway."

Viktor watched Hermione's face, he could almost see her brain working. "He will need food though, and you can't let him out to eat, it's part of the Ministry rules, only I can, and I can't expect you to bring him meals, plus you're away more than I am…"

"Hermione," Viktor interrupted, "he vill get food the same vay he does now."

"You have a house-elf?" she said, surprised.

He chuckled. "Rango!" he called out. At once, a little house-elf appeared next to him.

"You called, Master?"

"Prepare the vest ving, Rango, ve vill be having a guest living there for avhile."

"At once, Master."

"His name is Draco, but you are not to do anything he requests, especially allow him out of the ving, do you understand?"

"Of course, Master," said the little house-elf.

"This, however, is Hermione, and you vill do as she requests."

"Absolutely, Master," he bowed to Viktor, "and Mistress," he bowed to Hermione.

"Um," Hermione started, clearly unused to being addressed as such. "I do need you to bring Draco his meals, however," she told the elf.

"Yes, I suppose ve cannot let him starve," Viktor nodded. Rango bowed out of the room and disappeared, probably off to prepare the west wing.

"So, are we okay?" Hermione asked him.

"Ve are okay, but no more lies, you can tell me anything."

"No more lies," she promised, as she wrapped her arms around his waist.

 **Harry Potter – The Past**

 **June 20, 1998**

"Harry, this is silly!" said Hermione, annoyed, "she is going to twist everything we say!"

"I know that, but she's going to write the story with or without our help, at least this way we can ensure the truth is also put in there."

"Why can't we just have someone else write the story?" asked Ron.

"Oh, we will, there's no doubt about that," Harry answered. "I can't allow Rita Skeeter's version of what happened with us and Voldemort be the only one out there. People need to know the truth so that something like this never happens again."

"So why are we going to Rita, then?" Ron groaned.

"Because like it or not, she has a large fan base, and I would like the truth to be at least be mixed in her crazy tales. I'm not going to let her do to us what she did to Dumbledore."

"Harry, like it or not, her story is going to be awful." Harry didn't answer Hermione as they entered Rita's office.

"There they are! The heroes of Hogwarts!" Rita beamed at them.

"The heroes of Hogwarts? Seriously?" said Ron, incredulously.

"You do realize what we did at Hogwarts was miniscule to what happened everywhere else, right?" Hermione questioned.

"Well, of course, my dear! That's why you three are here! Now, help me tell the world how you took down and killed the darkest wizard of our time!" Rita took out her quick-notes quill and smiled at them all eagerly.

Harry took a deep breath, and began their story. "Voldemort returned when I was in my fourth year…" And so, the three heroes told their story of how it all came about. They agreed that they would only tell the world what they needed to know, and only gave Rita what information was truly required.

Towards the end of their recantation, Rita interrupted with some questions. "What happened to his snake?"

"Neville killed it," said Hermione, not explaining again who Neville was as he had already been mentioned before.

"Why?" she questioned.

"Because it was a big, dirty, snake!" said Ron.

"Rumors have reached me that stated that Harry couldn't kill You-Know-Who until the snake died first, why is that, exactly?" The trio looked at one another with a mixture of shock and fear. " _Oooh,_ the answer is a juicy one! Well go on, tell me!" said Rita, almost out of her seat with excitement.

"Voldemort had placed a spell on the snake," Hermione started slowly, choosing her words very carefully. They had to make sure nobody found out about the Horcruxes. It was a piece of magic that was not known to many, and the world would be a much better place if it remained quiet.

"What kind of spell, my dear?"

"A spell that…" Hermione looked at Harry for help.

"A spell that made the snake's bite venomous. I needed the snake killed before Voldemort in case Voldemort killed me. I had to ensure that people knew about the snake's danger," Harry lied poorly.

"I see… Well, I think I have all that I need here. Thank you so much, you three!" Rita walked them to the door. Just as she was about to close it, she looked at them and said, "I shall have it published very soon, be sure to pick up a copy! I am almost positive that you will enjoy chapter twenty-three, entitled _Horcruxes._ Have a lovely day!" and she slammed the door shut before any of them could say a word.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** For those who celebrate it, Happy Easter! Here's my Easter present for you! Not much to say about this one, except that "the past" portion is an important one! The next chapter we find out why Ginny has not broken up with Harry.. We are getting closer and closer to Harry's redemption!


	16. The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Sixteen: The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore**

 **Ginny Weasley – Present Day**

 **November 29, 1999**

"Hey, Jessica, how is everything?" Ginny had approached Jessica cautiously, outside of Amelia's room at St. Mungo's. Nobody except for Molly had been able to visit with them (As per Jessica's request), but Ginny decided that it was time to show up anyway. She did not regret telling Jessica, but regardless it was her fault that Jessica was pushing everyone away, and she needed to make sure that she was okay.

"As best as it can be, I guess, given the situation."

"I'm sorry I came, I know that you requested to be alone…"

"That didn't include you, Ginny, you're the only one that actually told me the truth. As hard as it is to wrap my head around all of this, I appreciate you not treating me like a fool."

Ginny sat next to her and smiled. "For the record, I think Ron wanted to tell you as well. The wizarding world has ways of informing muggle-borns about their magic, I think Mum was just trying to make sure those rules weren't broken."

"But you told me anyway," said Jessica.

"Yeah, well, I thought your situation was a little different. Besides, I don't tend to follow the rules." Both girls laughed. "So, how is Amelia?"

"Healer Martus says the magic she's displaying is a reaction to whatever happened to her with the wand. All the Healer's are telling me it's a good thing though, because it means that she may wake up."

"Look at you using our language, _the Healers_ , you're learning quick!" Ginny tried to lighten up the conversation a little bit.

"Ginny," Jessica turned to her seriously, "I need you to be honest with me again. Your mum is sweet but she holds back anything that she thinks is unpleasant, and Healer Martus barely tells me anything… I really need to know something."

Ginny nodded. "Sure. What do you need to know?"

Jessica took a deep breath. "What's the worst that can happen to Amelia? Other than d-death, I mean."

Ginny considered her answer for a long time. "Honestly, I don't really know. Even pureblood witches like me don't know everything. Magic is very complex, you know."

"Please, can you tell me what you do know?"

"Well, there's this book, it's actually a load of rubbish to be honest, but there are a few small truths to it."

"Does it talk about situations like Amelia's?"

"Kind of," Ginny said. "How much has Ron told you about our world?"

Jessica snorted. "Very little, but I also never asked."

"Well, there are pureblood wizards, like my family, half-blood wizards, muggle-borns…"

"Like Amelia."

"For sure her father couldn't have been a wizard?"

Jessica shook her head. "Definitely not, Nigel would be the last person you would suspect has magic."

"Okay, so muggle-born like Amelia, and Hermione, remember her? She's muggle-born, too." Ginny continued. "And then there are squibs."

"What are squibs?"

"The opposite of a muggle-born. Squibs are children born of magical parents who do not possess any magic."

"Oh, that happens?"

"Well, it's rare, and frowned upon in the wizarding world."

"That's sad, it's not like they can control it."

Ginny nodded in agreement. "It is sad, but that's the way the world is."

"Okay, so what does all this have to do with Amelia?"

"Well, as I said, the book is rubbish, it's supposed to be the biography of a wizard named Albus Dumbledore, but the author didn't know much about him, and so she made up the majority of it. She did get some truth though, including the part about his sister, Ariana. When she was six, muggles saw her practising magic and attacked her."

"Weren't there laws back then, before we found out about magic?"

"Yes, but it didn't apply until you were eleven. A child cannot control accidental magic, and that's what happened with Ariana."

"So, what happened to her?" Jessica asked, slightly reserved, in fear that she would not like the answer.

"I don't remember what the book said exactly, but, she became erratic. She wouldn't use magic, but she couldn't get rid of it either, and sometimes she would cause explosions and such. It eventually drove her mad."

"So, that could happen to Amelia," Jessica said quietly, looking down at her hands.

"I don't know, Amelia isn't a squib if both her parents don't have magical blood. But you asked me what's the worst-case that I know, and I believe it would be that."

Jessica nodded. "Thank you for being honest with me, Ginny, you're the only one."

"I know that feeling," Ginny said, more to herself than anything. She got up to leave, but then hesitated. She was mad at her family, but they were her family nevertheless. "Talk to Ron," she told Jessica. "He truly only means well."

 **Hermione Granger – Present Day**

 **December 2, 1999**

"There you are, Ginny!" Hermione said, as she walked over to her friend. Ginny was sitting alone at the Gryffindor table in the great hall, having a late dinner. "Why are you only having dinner now?"

"I was out on the quidditch pitch with some Hufflepuffs, they have some really good fliers in their house."

"Well, I wouldn't know anything about that!" The two women laughed in unison. "Actually, I'm glad I caught you alone, though, I wanted to talk to you."

"About what?" Ginny asked, through mouthfuls of roast beef.

Hermione thought back to the promise she made to Harry about a month ago. "You and Harry," she said sternly.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "What about?"

"You know what about! What is going on with you two?"

"Beats me," Ginny shrugged. "Maybe you should ask him."

"It's not my place to tell Harry to induct you into the Order, but…"

"But you think I should be," Ginny finished for her.

"I think you've earned it," Hermione agreed. "Is this why you're so distant from him? Can't you just talk to him?"

Ginny snorted. "There's no talking to Harry about anything!"

Hermione hesitated, but ultimately continued with her thought. "Why are you with him, then?"

Ginny put down her fork and turned to Hermione. "This Harry you see now, that's not my Harry. If this was the man that I had met all of those years ago, you can rest assured that I would never have been with him."

"I'm confused," Hermione said, and she looked it, too.

"This war has changed Harry. Do you know that he blames himself for every death? He even blames himself for the death of his parents!"

"That's ridiculous!"

Ginny nodded in agreement. "He told me that Voldemort was looking for him, not his parents, so if he hadn't been born, Voldemort would never have killed them and they would still be alive."

"Oh, Harry," Hermione was starting to understand the effect that this war had on the Boy Who Lived.

"Do you see? I can't just leave him, I know that _my Harry_ is still in there, he just needs help coming out."

"I was wondering why you were putting up with all of it, to be honest."

"Believe me, it isn't easy! I know he is doing this because he's trying to protect me, but it's so bloody annoying! He thinks he can prevent my untimely death or something!"

"Harry needs help," Hermione finally said.

"Yeah, but he's not going to listen to anyone."

"I think it's really sweet that you're not leaving him, after all of this nonsense he's putting you through."

"Like I said, this isn't my Harry, but he's in there, and I hope he comes back soon." Ginny looked off into the entrance hall where Harry could be seen walking in with Ron.

Hermione glanced in that direction too, wondering how she could help her best friend become himself again. "I wish I could help," she said quietly.

"He'll come around, Hermione, in the meantime, we just need to show him that none of what had happened was his fault."

 **Gellert Grindelwald – Present Day**

 **December 17, 1999**

 _Harry, of course, had known where the location of the cave was, having travelled there previously with the late Albus Dumbledore. With the locket finally destroyed, that only left a few more for the glorious trio to find._

Gellert was focused on the passage that he was reading, and therefore did not hear Pius walk in. He was drumming his wand on the page of the book, wondering how much of what he read was true.

"Is everything alright, Master?" Pius asked, after realizing that Gellert had not replied to a thing he had said for the past five minutes.

"Ah, Pius, I did not hear you. I'm very much intrigued with Skeeter's book here, however, I wish I knew how much I could believe."

"What do you mean, Master? She said she had received the information in an interview directly with Potter and his friends." Pius said, confused.

"She claimed to have received the details of this story first hand as well," he said, indicating to another book that was laying on the table. "Yet nobody knew Dumbledore better than me, and I can assure you there are more lies in _The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore_ than there are in all of the Daily Prophet articles combined!" Gellert slammed the golden book he was holding down on the table in frustration. "Riddle never mentioned horcruxes to _any_ of you?"

"No, Master, he was very private."

"I need information, Pius!" Gellert paced the room back and forth and did not stop until he perched himself in front of the large window facing the big hill that kept his little shack well hidden. "The girl," he started to say, an idea coming to him. "Pius, you said that the girl knew Potter? The one that followed you over the hill?"

"Yes, Master, she's the daughter of the Weasley's, the family that took Potter in. She may have dyed her hair black, but I know a Weasley when I see one. I believe her name is Gloria."

"Gloria!" Gellert repeated, with a smile. "She's the one I need to see."

"Shall I kidnap her?"

"No, no, nothing harsh, we need to stay low for now. Not to worry, Pius, our new friend will return."

"How do you know, Master?"

"Because I watched her that day. She had left only because she had received a message. Our little Gloria Weasley will return, this I am sure of, and we will gladly welcome her into our little dwelling."

 **Harry Potter – The Past**

 **May 10, 1998**

Harry sat outside of The Minister of Magic's office, waiting for their scheduled meeting. It had only been about a week since his defeat of Voldemort, and already so much had changed. For starters, Kingsley Shacklebolt was now permanently Minister of Magic, and there were several conversations happening within the Wizengamot about revealing their world to the muggles.

"Mr. Potter, my apologies for keeping you waiting," Kingsley said, as he reached out a hand to grasp Harry's in his, and then sat behind his large desk. "Now, there are several matters that we need to discuss. I know that you must be exhausted with everything going on, defeating the darkest wizard of our time only a week ago, you must be the eye of everyone's prize at the moment!"

"I guess you could say that," Harry said, emotionless. "I would much rather be at home with my friends and my girlfriend, instead of here all of the time."

"Well, I shall try not to take up too much of your time, then." Harry nodded his thanks. "The first matter of the day is the Wizengamot."

"What about it?"

"Well, as I am sure you know, the Sacred Twenty-eight each have a seat on it, and since the defeat of Voldemort, I'm sure you can imagine how many of those seats are now vacant. So, it is my responsibility to fill them with the proper heirs. With that said, I must require you to fill your seat at the next meeting."

"What?" said Harry, confused. " _Potter_ isn't part of the Sacred Twenty-eight!"

"Not _Potter,_ Mr. Potter, _Black."_

"But, I'm not a Black!"

"The last living Black was Sirius Black, your godfather. As he did not bear any children and he had named you in his Will as his successor, the seat now falls to you."

"But I don't want it," Harry shook his head. "Pass it on to the next person in line, please."

"Very well, Mr. Potter, but that burden, then, will fall onto your godson, Teddy Lupin."

"What? How?"

"As you bear no children, wizarding law states that a godchild would follow suit in the chain of command."

"But Sirius had cousins, why can't they take the seat?"

"Bellatrix is no longer with us, nor would she be allowed, of course, given her heinous crimes, and Narcissa is one of the Malfoys' whom are on the list to be tried, therefore she cannot take the seat."

"So, that leaves Andromeda. She can have it, she would be great."

"Indeed, she would be, Mr. Potter, but she is filling the Malfoy seat instead. As Narcissa's sister, she would be the next of kin for the Malfoys, other than Lucius and Draco, whom are both not allowed either, due to their upcoming trials as well."

"But… I don't want it," Harry said childishly.

"Nor did Andromeda, but she did not want to put such a burden on her grandson and, therefore, took the Malfoy seat."

Harry frowned. How could he put that burden on Teddy, when Teddy's grandmother wouldn't even do it? Besides, Teddy would not come of age for a long time, so the burden would have fallen on Harry anyway. "Fine," he said, pouting.

"Very good, Mr. Potter. We shall owl you to inform you of the next meeting. On to one final thing, then. The Harry Potter Association needs to come into effect-"

"I'm sorry, the what?"

"The Harry Potter Association. You were informed that you would be taking charge of the Death Eater proceedings, as well as follow-ups, review hearings, and whatever else is required."

"Yeah, I remember, but…" Harry hesitated before speaking. "I kind of just want to relax with my friends, it's been a hard year," he said with a slight smile.

"I understand, Mr. Potter, but even with the changes that may take place within Hogwarts, you have still almost completed your education and will require a job. You are being handed your own department! And if I remember correctly, you were adamant on being present during the Death Eater trials."

"Yeah, because I need to make sure they don't get away with what they've done!"

"Mr. Potter," Kingsley started, taking the kind tone that perhaps a father would take with his son, "You have a marvelous opportunity here. You can ensure justice is served, choose how to serve it, continue to protect all those that you've already protected, and then, when you're done with it, you may appoint someone else to take over! Do not make this decision lightly, but almost all of the wizarding world is looking at you as the one who saved them. You are their hero, Mr. Potter, let them continue to believe in you."

Harry thought long and hard before responding. Kingsley was right; he would need a job shortly. "I want Hermione and Ron to be a part of the department, too."

"Of course, it is your department, you may hire whomever you choose."

"It needs a new name," Harry also said. He was tired of hearing his name everywhere; perhaps there could be something else that people would start chanting instead.

"Very well, Mr. Potter, but I need your desired name, now. I need to have these documents processed immediately."

Harry thought that the name should be in memory of someone they had lost. He thought of his parents, of Sirius, of Dumbledore and Snape, he thought of Remus and Tonks, and Fred and Collin; there were so many worthy people. His mind then shifted to two other innocent lives; he thought sadly of the house-elf, Dobby, and his beloved pet owl, Hedwig. "I'll call it the Dobwig Association."

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Well, there you have it, the reason Ginny hasn't left Harry! I hope I was able to get the point across; basically Harry is not dealing with everything well. The Ginny we know, however, is not going to just let him sit and mope. In fact, chapter 21 Ginny finally gets fed up and goes into "action mode". I definitely enjoyed writing that chapter! Oh, and to answer the question "does Harry actually care about Ginny?" the answer is yes, very much so, which is why he is acting the way he is. He believes he is protecting her.

A couple of things in regards to relationships... Obviously the characters are getting older and leaving Hogwarts and we know that they end up having children. With that said, clearly sex is unavoidable in this story. However, I am not one to write many details (we all know how it's done, no need to explain!) So there will be mention of it and what not, but no crazy detailed porn.

The next chapter (seventeen) is really going to start opening up the Grindelwald story. It gets much more detailed in future chapters but "Christmas" starts it all and chapter 17 starts with Christmas. Hope you all enjoy!


	17. Christmas

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Seventeen: Christmas**

 **Ron Weasley – Present Day**

 **December 25, 1999**

Ron awoke in his bed at Grimmauld Place on Christmas morning to a pile of presents at the foot of his bed. Many of the Order members spent Christmas Eve at the house with George, then apparated home to their loved ones. The Weasleys all went back to the Burrow to be with Ginny, but Ron had been one of the few to stay behind. It was past midnight when Ron heard Harry approach their shared room, but Ron had locked it with a charm that could not be open, and after a few attempts, Harry had left. Ron did not care that this was now Harry's house; he was not going to share a room with him. He started to open the presents in front of him. He had his usual pullover from his mum, along with a bunch of his favorite sweets, a broom servicing kit from Hermione (she remembered how much he had borrowed Harry's), and two wrapped parcels that he did not recognize. He opened the first small package and found a black leather watch strap. Enclosed was a short note:

 _I bought this before things ended, when I noticed that your watch strap was tearing. Happy Christmas – Essa_

Ron did not know what to make of her gift; evidently, he did not get her anything. Frowning, he moved on to the second, slightly bigger, package. A thick, gold chain had fallen into his lap, along with a piece of parchment that read:

 _This is from my parent's vault, and since I see you as my brother, I thought you should wear it. – Harry_

Ron looked at the chain; it had to be real gold. He had never owned anything worth nearly as much as this must have been worth. He picked up the piece of parchment again and re-read it. Harry saw him as a brother… What a fool he had been! He searched his room frantically, looking for something that he could gift to Harry. He grabbed a bunch of the sweets he had received from his mum, wrapped them in one of the wrinkly wrappings on his bed, and headed downstairs to find him. "Happy Christmas, Harry!" he said, handing his best friend the package.

"Happy Christmas, Ron!" Harry accepted the package and opened up the sweets. He grabbed a box of Bertie Bott's every flavored beans that was in the shape of an "R" and held it up to Ron. "Last minute gift?" he said, chuckling.

Ron smiled, "I'm sorry, Harry, I was being a prat."

"All is forgiven, mate, it's just good to have you back."

"That chain from your parents' vault, I can't accept it."

"Of course you can, you're my brother!" Harry said, clapping him on the back.

Lost for words, Ron sat at the table and joined Harry for breakfast.

After the two men ate, Ron got up and headed to the door. "Sorry, Harry, but I need to go to St. Mungo's. It's Christmas, I need to see her whether she wants me to or not."

"I'm off to see Ginny, too," Harry responded. "I'll see you tonight?"

"See you," Ron nodded. It didn't take Ron long to apparate to St. Mungo's and reach Amelia's room. He saw Jessica sitting outside of the room, her head in a book. "The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore?" Ron said outloud, reading the title of the book. "You do realize that anything Rita Skeeter writes is a load of rubbish, right?"

"So I've heard, Ginny thought I would enjoy a good laugh, though. She just left, actually, she only stopped by to give me this."

Ron stood in front of her nervously. "Is it okay that I came?" he asked hesitantly. Jessica nodded and moved over, making space for him beside her. He sat next to her happily, and asked, "how is she doing?"

Jessica sighed before responding. "Well, there's been progress. She's producing more sparks which they say is good, and she almost woke up once."

"Almost?"

"Her eyelids fluttered, but they remained closed," she answered sadly.

Ron nervously reached over and grabbed her hand. "I'm sorry, Jessica."

"Ginny told me about your brother," she said, not acknowledging his apology. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I, uh, wasn't supposed to tell anyone, not even Ginny! She shouldn't have told you."

"Yeah, well, Ginny is the only one who doesn't keep secrets from me," Jessica said, pulling her hand away.

Ron picked up on her mood, and decided to ease it. "Well, in case you get tired of _that_ rubbish," he said, indicating Skeeter's book, "I brought you another one."

Jessica accepted the book being handed to her. "Hogwarts: A History," she read aloud.

"It's all about our school," Ron explained. "I thought you would want to know about it, as that's where Amelia will be when she turns eleven."

"You honestly think I will let her go there?" Jessica said, her face burning red.

"You have to, all wizards and witches go to-"

"She is not a witch!" Jessica yelled. "Get out!"

"No, I'm not leaving! You're in denial, that's why you sit out here and not in there with her! Face it, Jessica, she's a witch whether you like it or not!"

"Ron, if you don't leave right now-" Jessica was cut off when a loud noise was heard from Amelia's room. Both Jessica and Ron ran into the room to find a very tiny Amelia sitting up in bed, and medical equipment laying on the ground.

"Oopsie, Mummy!" came Amelia's small little voice.

Bursting with tears, Jessica ran and embraced her daughter in her arms. "Amelia!" she cried, tears of joy rolling down her face. "Oh, my Amelia!"

Ron stood by the door, beaming from ear to ear. It was as if a huge weight had been lifted off of him; Amelia was awake and was going to be okay. He stepped out of the room to inform a nearby Healer, then galleoned Harry, asking him to tell Molly the good news. A few moments later, Jessica was coming out of Amelia's room, rosy-cheeked and puffy-eyed.

"She was feeling dizzy, so they gave her some medication to put her to sleep. They promised she would wake up though, they just needed her body to do it slowly."

"Medication?"

Jessica gritted her teeth. " _Potion,_ " she mumbled.

Ron could see that she was struggling with the fact that her daughter was a part of the wizarding world. "I informed Mum," he told her.

She nodded her thanks. "She's been very kind. Could you please let Ginny know, as well?"

Ron pulled out his galleon and sent his sister a message. "Done," he said, pocketing the galleon again. "Jessica, listen, about the book…"

But Jessica shook her head. "I don't want to talk about it. I appreciate the sentiment behind it, but I'm not sure if I'm going to let her enter this world."

"But, she has to!" Ron had never heard of any magical child not attend Hogwarts, or any of the other schools. What would happen if Jessica held Amelia back? Was that even possible?

"Ron, she's not even two yet, and she still has a long road of recovery. I'm not dealing with this now!"

"Okay," he said. "I better get going, I have Christmas dinner at my mum's." He hesitated before adding, "can I come back?"

Jessica nodded. "As long as you don't talk about that school."

"Fine," he said, going up to her and giving her a hug. "Happy Christmas, to both of you."

Jessica hugged him back, tightly. "It's a Christmas miracle, that's for sure."

 **Harry Potter – Present Day**

 **December 25, 1999**

"Happy Christmas, Mrs. Weasley," said Harry, as he walked into the Burrow and removed his traveling cloak.

"Happy Christmas, Harry, Dear!" she replied, embracing him in a tight motherly hug. "Hermione is in the living room, if you wish to see her."

"Thanks, is Ginny there, too?"

"No, I don't think she's even up yet, Dear, I've been up since the crack of dawn getting everything ready and I have yet to see her."

Harry nodded his thanks, and headed to the living room. "Happy Christmas, Hermione," he said.

"Happy Christmas, Harry!" she said, looking up from her book.

"I see you've received my gift?" he said, indicating to the book she was reading.

"Yes, thank you very much!"

He sat next to her on the couch and pulled out his galleon.

 _I'm downstairs with Hermione._

He sent the message to Ginny, hoping that she would come down. "Where's Viktor, today?"

"Can you believe that he has Quidditch?"

"On Christmas?"

Hermione nodded. "You should be happy that you never went on to play professionally, Harry!"

Harry laughed. "What about Draco?"

"I'm taking him later to see his mum," she grumbled.

"That's really nice of you, Hermione."

"That's me, _nice Hermione,_ " she said sarcastically.

Trying to avoid having to deal with bad mood Hermione, Harry changed the subject. "Want to see what I got Ginny?" he asked her.

"I would love to!"

Harry pulled out a black velvet box and handed it to her. Inside was a unique necklace; the straps were made of a delicate yet strong black ribbon, and at the centre was a golden pendant with a distinguished letter 'P'. "I think it's the Potter crest, it was in my parent's vault."

"Oh, Harry, it's beautiful! She will love it!"

Harry smiled, and put the velvet box back into his pocket. "If she would hurry up and wake, I would love to give it to her."

"What do you mean? She's not in her room, I looked for her when I got here."

"Mrs. Weasley said that she hasn't seen her all day," said Harry, getting up and checking Ginny's room himself. After searching the remainder of the house, he went back into the kitchen. "Mrs. Weasley, Ginny isn't in her room or the rest of the house."

"That's impossible, Dear, she hasn't left, I would have seen if she had. Ginny!" she called out, walking towards the stairs. "Ginny, Dear, get down here, please!" Mrs. Weasley returned a few moments later, with a look of concern on her face. "Harry, could you please use your galleon to contact her?"

"I did, but she never replied."

"Errol! Where is that bloody owl? Errol!" said Mrs. Weasley, clearly looking to prepare a letter to her daughter, or worse, a Howler.

"Mrs. Weasley, she just sent me a message!" said Hermione, running into the kitchen, holding her galleon.

"What does it say?" the sweetness in her voice gone.

Hermione hesitated, but read the message aloud:

 _I won't be coming to the Burrow today, things to do._

"Not coming? Things to do? _Things to do?_ " The look on Molly's face was frightening.

"I'm sure she's got a good reason, perhaps she is visiting Jessica and Amelia at the hospital?"

"Who's visiting Jessica and Amelia?" asked Ron, walking into the Burrow and removing his travelling cloak.

"Ginny," answered Hermione.

"Ginny was there this morning, Jess said, there won't be anymore visitors today."

Harry bit his bottom lip. Was this his doing? He was pushing Ginny away from the Order for her safety, but was he pushing so far that she was deserting them all? "I'll take care of it, Mrs. Weasley, don't worry." Harry left the Burrow before any one of them could follow him. He had no idea where Ginny was, but seeing as though she still had his invisibility cloak, he knew she was up to something. She knew about George, although how, he had no idea. He clearly wasn't giving her the credit she deserved; she was smart, and she was finding out whatever it was that she needed to. Essa had said that she felt someone grab her arm when she was apparating to the bakery in France, could that have been Ginny? Had she somehow found out about the Order's plan to track Pius? With Ginny having the invisibility cloak, it made so much sense… Harry prepared to apparate there himself, but then stopped. If Pius saw him there, it would give up their plan. He battled internally with his decision; Did he risk giving up the Order's position on a whim, or did he wait and see if Ginny would return on her own? It was his job, as everyone else in the Order, to protect what they were doing. But it was also his job, as Ginny's boyfriend, to protect her. Hesitantly, he grabbed his galleon and prepared a risky message to Ginny:

 _Just tell me if you're at the hill._

After waiting several minutes, he concluded that she was not going to respond. Swearing under his breath, he prepared to apparate to Hogwarts, hoping to find Professor McGonagall. He needed to confide in someone, and he felt that she would be the most unbiased. Just as he was about to apparate, something grew hot in his pocket. Anxiously, Harry grabbed the galleon out of his pocket, and read the message that came from Ginny's serial number:

 _DO NOT FOLLOW._

 **Draco Malfoy – The Present**

 **December 25, 1999**

Draco straightened the bow on his mother's gift that he had just wrapped. Since he had spent plenty of time in his common room now, he had perfected the art of many things, one of them being (oddly enough) gift wrapping. He had ordered his mother a tea set through the Daily Prophet's Owl Ordering Service, and it had arrived just a few days ago. Narcissa Malfoy was an avid tea drinker, and this particular set was black and silver, like the rest of Malfoy Manor's décor, and Draco knew once he had spotted it, that it would be the perfect gift for her. He then reached for the other package that he had recently wrapped. This one was long and slender, and it was the only other Christmas gift that Draco had purchased. He would have loved to give Hermione priceless jewelry instead, but knowing that she would not accept them, he hoped that she would at least accept this subtle gift. He heard shuffling outside of his dormitory, and so he hastily put the gifts inside of his trunk and headed for the common room. Since every Slytherin had gone home for the holidays, he knew that it was the Hogwart's house elf bringing him a meal. He walked over to a table in the centre of the room, next a lavish leather couch, and made himself comfortable. Sure enough, it was the usual house elf that was making his way over to Draco, and finally laying his lunch in front of him and bowing.

"Mr. Malfoy's lunch today is split pea soup with biscuits, and a glass of orange juice."

"Thank you, Kreacher."

"Kreacher will not bring Mr. Malfoy's dinner today, Kreacher's co-worker Wooly will bring it."

"Oh," said Draco, sipping his hot soup. "It's always been you who has brought my meals, why the change?" It was not as if Draco had cared; he simply grew accustomed to seeing the ugly house elf with the grey hair protruding out of his big ears.

"Kreacher will return tomorrow and serve Mr. Malfoy his meals," said Kreacher, "but Kreacher must return to his Master today, as his Master ordered Kreacher to be home for Christmas dinner."

"You have a master?" Draco asked, confused. "Isn't that McGonagall, since she's the Headmistress?"

Kreacher shook his head. "Kreacher is not a Hogwarts house elf, Kreacher only works here because Kreacher's Master has ordered him to, but Kreacher goes back home whenever Master calls."

"Oh," Draco said, not knowing what else to say.

"Kreacher must leave now, but Mr. Malfoy will inform Ms. Granger that Kreacher made sure that Wooly will bring Mr. Malfoy's meals, and that Kreacher will return tomorrow."

"I don't think Hermione will care about who feeds me, Kreacher," said Draco, chuckling.

"Ms. Granger does care! Ms. Granger found Kreacher and told Kreacher specifically that he is to feed Mr. Malfoy when Mr. Malfoy takes meal time in his common room."

Draco frowned. "Does Hermione know you? I mean, personally?"

"Kreacher is ordered by his Master to listen to Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley, so Kreacher must obey what Ms. Granger asks. Kreacher must go to his Master now." The old house elf bowed his way out of the Slytherin common room.

So, Kreacher was ordered to obey Hermione and Weasley. Well, it was obvious to Draco who owned the house elf. He continued to sip his soup all the while wondering why Potter had sent his house elf to work at Hogwarts.

 **Sirius Black – The Past**

 **March 6, 1996**

Padfoot wadded his way through the muddy cemetery and sat in front of his friends' graves. He wished that he could have transformed into his true form, but fearing recapture, he stayed in his animagus form. Even as the big shaggy dog, he was risking being noticed by a Death Eater; he was almost certain that the Potters' graves were being watched. He whimpered as he read their names on their headstones. It had been his fault that they had died; he never should have convinced them to use Wormtail instead. He heard footsteps approaching, but laid his head back down when he realized it was only Remus. Remus conjured up a chair and sat next to Sirius. For anyone looking, it would simply appear as a man visiting a grave with his dog. The pair sat silently for awhile (well, Sirius laid, rather) and remembered the good times with their fallen friends. After quite some time, Remus spoke.

"It's a shame that it only has James and Lily's name on it, but I suppose they wouldn't know which other name to put." Sirius, of course, could not reply as he was in his animagus form, but he silently agreed with Remus.

"You need to tell Harry, Sirius, when he comes to visit his Parents' graves for the first time. He should know who is buried with them." Sirius whimpered; he knew what he had to do, but for now, all he wanted to do was mourn his friends. No, not friends, he thought, family. These three were his family, family that was no longer here.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** First, it seems as though I may have confused a few about when Harry will redeem himself, so let me explain. Chapter 19 will be the start of the redemption, but it is going to take him awhile. Chapter 21 is where Ginny gets annoyed and "pushes him" so to speak. That's all I am going to say on the matter; Looks like you'll need to read to find out the rest!

So, I think I have shown where the Grindelwald story is going. Yes, Ginny is on her way there, and yes, prepare for some Grindelwald interaction. (I won't say with who, however!)

The next chapter was written with a little tribute to Emma Watson's new role as Belle - I couldn't help myself!

Enjoy! And as always, thank you for reading and commenting!


	18. Beauty and the Beast

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Eighteen: Beauty and the Beast**

 **Ginny Weasley – Present Day**

 **December 25, 1999**

Ginny arrived beside _Les Bonbons des Renee_ and headed towards the big hill that she knew led to Grindelwald's hideout. It was just as windy as it had been during her first visit, so she hugged the invisibility cloak around her tightly, hoping that the flapping fabric at the bottom would not give up her feet. After replying to Harry's message, she placed her galleon into her bag, ensuring that if it were to heat up again, she would not feel it. She was determined to reach the cottage this time, and was not going to allow anything to get in her way. She had reached the front door of the cottage, only to find it open about a foot or so. Not believing her luck yet again, she tightened the cloak around herself, and very quietly tiptoed into the house. She heard a muffled sound coming from the top of the stairs, and as she made her way closer, she was able to determine that it was the voices of two men. They, of course, must have belonged to Grindelwald and Thicknesse. She very slowly tiptoed up the stairs and stood quietly outside of a closed door where the voices were coming from. Holding her breath, she placed her ear to the door and listened.

"It is not about killing, Pius, I do not wish to kill anyone, I simply wish to do what is necessary for _The Greater Good,_ " came the voice of what must have been Gellert Grindelwald.

"The Greater Good?" questioned Pius.

"Have I not explained to you what that is yet? Have a seat, Pius, I shall explain exactly what it is that I want." Ginny strained her ears; this was exactly the information that she needed to take back to the Order and finally find herself working with them. Unexpectedly, the door was thrown open, and there stood the infamous Gellert Grindelwald. "You may remove your cloak," said Grindelwald, starring right at the spot where she was hidden, "and come inside. I am about to explain the purpose of my return, Ms. Weasley."

 **Hermione Granger – The Present**

 **December 25, 1999**

"Are you ready?" Hermione asked Draco, secretly dreading their trip.

Draco nodded. He carried a bag over his shoulder, probably carrying his mother's Christmas present. "Thank you for doing this, Hermione. She would have been all alone today."

"Just remember my rules, Draco. She isn't to speak to me. I'll sit there silently and allow you two to spend some time together, but you are to always be in my eye sight, and we aren't to be more than an hour."

"No problem." They walked through the halls of Hogwarts, heading towards the exit and then to the apparating point. "Are you seeing Krum after this?" he asked her casually.

"He has Quidditch, actually, but I'll see him tomorrow."

"So you're alone today?"

"I'm having dinner with Harry at the Weasley's."

"I think that got switched to Harry's house, actually."

Hermione raised her eye brows. "And how would you know that?"

"Kreacher told me," Draco smiled. He watched Hermione send Harry a message on her galleon, probably confirming the location of dinner. "How come you never told me it was Potter's house elf?"

She shrugged. "I didn't see the point. I simply needed an elf I could trust, and since Harry has ordered Kreacher to listen to me, it worked out perfectly."

"Is that why Kreacher was sent to Hogwarts?"

"No, he was sent there awhile ago, for unrelated reasons." The pair had reached the apparition point, and Hermione allowed Draco to apparate them to Malfoy Manor. They arrived just outside of the gates, and Hermione tensed up.

"I've spoken to Mother, she knows not to say a word. This will be okay, I promise."

"Okay," she said, barely audible. "Let's go." The two were greeted by Narcissa at the door, and were lead inside. Draco hugged his mother and, as promised, Narcissa ignored Hermione. Hermione made her way over the sofa she had sat on only once before, where Narcissa had laid out biscuits and tea. Only two cups had been laid out, however, clearly for Draco and Narcissa only.

Picking up on the scene, Draco offered to get her a cup. "I'll just grab one from the kitchen for you," he said quietly.

"No need," Hermione shook her head. "Just enjoy your time with your mum." Draco and Narcissa sat on the sofa across from Hermione and spoke as if she was not there. He kept glancing in her direction, with an apologetic look on his face, but she kept shaking her head and smiling. She was quite fine with being ignored.

"How will it work once you finish your final NEWTs, Draco?" Narcissa asked. "Will they allow you to be locked in a room here at the manor?"

"I'm not sure, Mother," he looked towards Hermione, but then looked away. "I will find out and get back to you," he said, choosing not to ask Hermione at that moment, since he had promised that he would not involve her in any conversation.

Hermione, however, thought it best that they knew the truth; some of it, at least. "Draco has to be wherever I am, so if we both complete Hogwarts, he would move in to a room at my house. But," she added quickly, "hopefully his next hearing will put an end to all of this monitoring, and he can return home."

"Thanks for clarifying," Draco said to her. Narcissa almost glanced in her direction, but thought better of it. Before Hermione knew it, an hour was up, and she was standing to leave. Draco pulled a neatly wrapped box out of his bag and handed it to his mother. In return, she handed him a slightly bigger box, and he placed it in his bag. He then hugged his mother, and promised to owl her the next day. The pair left the Manor, apparated just outside of the gate, and arrived in Hogsmeade, making their way back to Hogwarts. "Can we stop for a moment?" Draco asked her suddenly, approaching a nearby bench.

"Whatever for?" she asked him.

"I would like to open the gift from my mum. There's nobody in the Slytherin common room and it's kind of pathetic to open gifts alone," he said, smirking slightly.

Hermione rolled her eyes, but obliged. "Alright, let's see it then."

Draco took the present given to him and unwrapped it. Inside was a brand new black dress robe, with the Malfoy emblem embedded on the chest. "Leave it to my mum to be traditional," he laughed.

"It is a nice gift, I wish I could receive a gift from my mum," Hermione said sadly.

"Speaking of gifts…" Draco trailed off and reached into his bag, pulling out a long, thin, box. "This is for you, he said, handing it to her, "Happy Christmas."

"Draco," she started. "I can't accept this…"

"Yes, you can," he said. "It's nothing expensive, I promise, and it's my way of saying thank you for not letting me go to Azkaban." Seeing her hesitation, he added, "it kind of has to do with your muggle life."

Frowning, and concerned that the gift had other motives, Hermione accepted the gift and hesitantly began to unwrap it. A small gasp escaped her lips. Inside, lay a beautiful glass rose, far more beaufitul and delicate than a real rose could have been. "It's beautiful," she whispered.

"I did some research about your childhood," he said. "Potter told me about some muggle stories that you probably grew up with. One of them really stuck out to me; _Beauty and the Beast_ , he had called it. He told me the premise of the story, and I thought that the rose symbolized you. Not that you're an ugly beast!" he added quickly, watching her facial expression, "but that the rose signified true love and beauty. See, the rose in the story died, even though Belle and the Beast ended up in love. But this rose here," he said, indicating the glass rose, "this rose will never die. It will remain the same, just like your beauty, and…" Hermione looked into Draco's eyes; she had a feeling he was about to mention his love for her. He sighed, however, changing the course of his words. "Let this rose be a reminder of your parents, of your muggle life, and let it always remind you how beautiful and loved you truly are."

Hermione was at a loss for words. She did not recall ever receiving such an incredible gift, but the gift was coming from Draco, her ex-boyfriend, someone she could not allow herself to love. "We should go," she whispered, still clutching the glass rose. "Thank you, Draco," she added, and she escorted him back to the Slytherin common room, both of them lost in their own thoughts.

 **Harry Potter – Present Day**

 **December 25, 1999**

Harry arrived at Number 12 Grimmauld Place early, after sending a message to the Order members, scheduling a late meeting. Since Molly Weasley learned that her only daughter would not be joining them for Christmas dinner, she moved the dinner from the Burrow to Grimmauld Place, and invited any available Order member to attend. Once dinner was completed, the remaining members who did not join the rest for dinner, would arrive for Harry's meeting request. Harry walked into the kitchen and headed for the fireplace; he needed to floo Professor McGonagall and speak to her before the meeting. Harry had not told anyone about Ginny's message, but it was tearing him up inside and he needed to speak to someone he trusted. He kept Ginny away from the Order to protect her, yet here she was, putting herself in possibly the most dangerous situation, and there was nothing Harry could do, as arriving at the hill would only compromise Ginny's already life-threatening situation. He threw some floo powder into the fire and stuck his head in once the flames turned green. It wasn't long before he saw Professor McGonagall's legs approach the fireplace, followed by her head reaching his level.

"Potter, what on earth couldn't wait for tonight's meeting?" she asked him, clearly annoyed with the unannounced intrusion.

"I'm sorry, Professor, but it's rather urgent, and I have no one else to turn to."

"I will arrive there shortly, Potter."

"Thank you, Professor." Harry backed out of the fireplace and found himself looking at the kitchen of Grimmauld Place once more. It wasn't long before McGonagall showed up at the front door.

"What can I help you with, Potter?" she asked him, skipping the traditional hello's.

"It's Ginny, she's found Grindelwald."

Minerva McGonagall threw her hand against her chest. She immediately drew out her wand and chanted "Homenum Revelio." As the spell was casted, a single shadow appeared over their heads. "That must be Mr. Weasley; Good, that means we are alone. Now, explain to me exactly how Ms. Weasley found the one wizard that the Order of the Pheonix cannot find!"

"Er, do you know that I have an invisibility cloak?"

"Naturally. The amount of times that you, Mr. Weasley, and Ms. Granger would leave Gryffindor tower without getting caught, lead me to such a conclusion."

"Right, well Ginny took it." Harry began to explain everything that he knew about Ginny and her visit to the big hill, right down to the galleon message that he had received recently.

"Ms. Delacour had said she felt someone grab her arm, I presume that was Ms. Weasley apparating under the cloak?"

Harry nodded. "I think so, and now I don't know what to do because if I show up, I'll compromise her!"

"Indeed you will, as will any member of the Order. Mr. Potter, I'm afraid to say that we must let Ms. Weasley finish her quest." Harry made to interrupt, but she cut him off. "I do not like it either, Mr. Potter, but what other choice do we have? Appearing there will only have Ms. Weasley killed!"

"Do you think I should tell Mrs. Weasley?" Harry asked his professor.

"Her parents ought to know, before the meeting, I think, but still while the other members are gathered in the next room. Should they try and go after their daughter, and they will, I will need the support of the members to hold them back, for the purpose of saving the girl."

Harry nodded, but slammed his fist on the table in frustration. "Potter, I know how frightening this may be, but you must not go after her! Even sending her a message on her galleon could risk her position if she has not been seen."

"I know!" Harry yelled in anger. "I kept her from the Order to protect her! How did this happen?"

"Perhaps you would not like to hear it, Potter, but keeping her away is what may have prompted her to move forward. Humans are a curious being, and denying them something makes them want it even more."

Not wanting to admit that she was right, Harry stood from the table and walked away. "Kreacher!" he called, looking for the house elf that he had instructed to return to Grimmauld Place that day.

"Sending him will be just as bad, Potter."

"Master called, Kreacher is here," came the voice of the old house elf as he entered the kitchen.

"Kreacher, go find Pius Thicknesse, but don't let him see you, then come back and tell me where he is."

"Kreacher lives to serve his Master," the elf replied, and he disappeared at once.

"If I can't go after Ginny, I'll at least go after Thicknesse," he told his Professor.

"You do as you see fit, Mr. Potter, but I will leave you with one piece of advice before I take my leave. Do not make a hasty decision whilst you are emotional. Sometimes it is best to allow others who are not personally involved to decide for us; only then will the decision be unbiased." Harry nodded once, simply to acknowledge that he had heard her. "I shall return again just before the meeting is to commence, and I will help you speak privately to Arthur and Molly."

"Thank you," was all Harry could say. He heard her leave through the front door, just as Kreacher had apparated back. "Well?"

"Pius Thicknesse is in a cottage with the Weasley girl," Kreacher told him. "Kreacher saw through a window, but Kreacher was not seen as Master had requested."

Heart hammering, Harry asked what he was terrified to know. "Was anyone else present?"

"Yes, Master, an older man."

Flipping through a box stacked in the kitchen with Order items, Harry found a picture of Grindelwald and held it up. "Kreacher, is this the man?"

"Yes, Master, he is the man with Pius Thicknesse and the Weasley girl."

 **Harry Potter – The Past**

 **July 31, 1998**

Harry picked up the parcel that had arrived that morning by an unfamiliar owl. The note attached was very short:

 _How ironic that I release my book today, on your birthday! Best wishes as always!_

 _Xx Rita Skeeter_

Harry unwrapped the package, and out fell a thick, golden-yellow book, with his face staring back at him.

 _The Chosen One: The True Tale of How Harry Potter Took Down the Darkest Wizard of Time_

"Not a very original title, Rita," Harry said to himself, reading the caption above his photo. He would eventually read what she had written, but since his interview with her back in June, he was anxious to read what she knew about Horcruxes. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had been incredibly careful with that information, and had refused to even tell the Order about it. Nervously, he flipped to chapter twenty-three, and began to read:

 _What Albus Dumbledore failed to understand was how the Dark Lord was still alive. Surely after the killing curse had rebounded on him back in 1981, he should have died. It is unknown to anyone, including Harry Potter, how Albus Dumbledore came to the discovery, but it was soon learnt that the Dark Lord had created one of the rarest magical items of all time: a Horcrux._

 _I know many of you are wondering what exactly a Horcrux is, as information on such a rarity is hard to find. I, Rita Skeeter, used my wonderful connections to define exactly what it is for you! A Horcrux is literally a part of your soul embedded on an inanimate object, that…_

Harry skipped the details of what a Horcrux was, as he already knew very well, and continued on to the part about it's connection to Voldemort.

 _The Dark Lord had created six intentional Horcruxes, and one by mistake. Upon casting the killing curse on Harry Potter on October 31, 1981, the curse backfired and a part of the Dark Lord's soul attached itself to the only living thing left in the Potter household: the baby Harry. This was unknown to the Dark Lord until he attempted to kill Harry on May 2, 1998. The Dark Lord had finally succeeded in using the killing curse on Harry, but he only ended up killing the Horcrux inside of Harry, and, with the other six being destroyed already by Harry and his friends, Harry was free to finally put an end to the notorious wizard._

 _The journey to end the first six Horcruxes had not been an easy one for Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter, and his friends. The first horcrux had been destroyed by Harry himself in the Chamber of Secrets, before he had even known what a Horcrux was. In Harry's second year of magical education at Hogwarts, the Chamber of Secrets had been reopened…_

Harry stopped reading at that point. Rita Skeeter knew, _in detail,_ about the Horcruxes, and now, so did the rest of the world.

"Harry?" came Hermione's voice, as she hurriedly entered his room. "Have you seen…" but she stopped mid-sentence when she saw the book in his hands.

"How does she know?" he asked her.

"Harry, I don't know, but this is bad, really bad!"

"How is it bad?" asked Ron, entering the room, but evidently knowing what they were discussing.

"Because Ron," answered Hermione, "now the majority of the wizarding world will know about Horcruxes, and soon thousands of witches and wizards are going to be making some themselves!"

"The wizarding world is about to drastically change, and not in a good way," added Harry, brow furrowed, and a heavy weight in the pit of his stomach.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** STRONG Ginny chapter coming up. I believe she is a very strong and confident character and I enjoy writing her point of view. Also, LOVE Arthur in the next one, as well! Basically, I really like chapter nineteen!

For my Ginny lovers/Harry haters.. I thought I would release the title of chapter 21 for you guys.. Ready? It's... "Redemption".. Lol I'm sure that will make you happy!

As always, thanks for reading and commenting!


	19. Grindelwald's Hideout

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Nineteen: Grindelwald's Hideout**

 **Ginny Weasley – The Present**

 **December 25, 1999**

Ginny hesitantly entered the room where Grindelwald and Thicknesse had just been communicating. She placed her hand on the handle of her wand, but Grindelwald chuckled and reached for it.

"I'll take that, little one, there's a good girl," he said, as Ginny handed it to him. She clearly had no choice at this point; her plan was to somehow send a message out through her galleon, she just needed to figure out a way to get to it.

"What do you want?" she asked, bravely.

"Now, Gloria, I'm not going to hurt you, as long as you do what I say," Grindelwald told her.

 _Gloria?_ Ginny ignored the name and played along. "What do you want?" she asked again.

"Well, you see, I have some questions that I need answered. If you answer my questions, I'll give you your wand, and off you'll go, back to Harry Potter. Him and his little Order will come back here and search the place, but I'll be gone, of course. I _will_ make it easier for him, however, with this." He held out a folded piece of parchment.

"And what is that, exactly?" Ginny asked, buying time.

"I'm glad that you asked, Gloria. This here is a letter to Potter, actually, telling him my intentions. See how easy I'm making this? I'm an easy man to please, Gloria, so how about you answer my questions so that you may get this letter back to Potter?"

Ginny knew she couldn't trust him, but her best option right now was to play along. "Fine," she told him. "Ask away."

Grindelwald smiled. "There's a good girl. Now, Potter has been staying with you and your family, hasn't he?"

"Yes," said Ginny, choosing her words very carefully.

"More than that, Master, he's dating one of them," Thicknesse piped up.

"Is he now?" Grindelwald look at Ginny and smiled. "Is it you, Gloria?"

"No," Ginny lied, although, technically it was true that Harry wasn't dating _Gloria._

"Do you recognize this book?" he asked, picking up Rita Skeeter's book about Harry and Voldemort, clearly bored of the subject of Harry's love life. Ginny nodded. "Have you read it?" he asked her.

"Not all of it," she said truthfully. "Her work is usually always rubbish."

Grindelwald smiled again. "My thoughts exactly," he said. "I like you, Gloria; you are going to make this very easy for me. What I need to know, is how much I could trust what Skeeter says about Horcruxes."

"Why, so you could make some?" Ginny blurted out.

"Easy, Gloria!" Grindelwald said, smiling. "Perhaps you should join my side, I like your cheekiness!" Ginny scowled at him, and he laughed again. "Tom Riddle thought he knew it all, yet he failed. I, a much more level-headed wizard, am determined to _actually_ know what I need to know, in order to proceed."

"And what is it that you want to proceed on?"

"The Greater Good, of course!"

"Which is…?"

"Gloria, if you remember my instruction, it is I that will ask the questions."

"I do remember your instruction; you invited me inside to learn what the _Greater Good_ was." Ginny knew she was pushing it, but she needed to buy as much time as possible so that she would be able to find an opportunity to reach her galleon. She watched Grindelwald pace back and forth with quite the grin on his face. Clearly, he was enjoying Ginny's - or rather, _Gloria's_ \- remarks.

Finally, Grindelwald spoke. "Your Ministry of Magic has started to see the Greater Good. Releasing the wizarding world secret was step one. See, what I want is not at all a bad thing. I'm portrayed as evil because I spent several years in Nurmengard – That's a prison, Gloria, but I was sent there for wanting what has now happened."

"Dumbledore sent you there which means you deserved to be there!"

"Albus Dumbledore was pressured to duel me, but if you know the story, you know he held off for a long time before doing so, because he knew that I was right. Albus had always succumbed to pressure. Pity; he could have helped the cause in such a large way." Grindelwald was lost in thought for awhile, clearly remembering his days with Dumbledore. Ginny attempted to reach into her bag, but quickly withdrew her hand when Grindelwald turned to her again. "Now, let us get back on track. What do you know of the Horcruxes?"

"Nothing," Ginny said. "Truly!" she added. In actuality, Harry never really discussed the horcruxes with her or anyone; it was something that he, Ron, and Hermione had kept to themselves. "As far as I know, Harry never even told his girlfriend; they wanted to keep it quiet."

"You know what, Gloria? I believe you. Potter was trained by Albus Dumbledore, and Albus Dumbledore was an intelligent man." He paced some more, strumming his thumb against the pages of the book. "I suppose I was too optimistic; this is a conversation I must have with Potter, himself. Very well, Gloria, you may go and deliver my letter." Ginny made to reach for the folded parchment, but Grindelwald pulled back. "My apologies, Gloria, there is just one more thing."

"What's that?" Ginny asked, hesitantly.

"I require the cloak, please."

"No."

Grindelwald laughed. "Surely you forgot who you were speaking to, so I will let that slide. The cloak please, Gloria."

"I can't, it's Harry's, I have to return it!"

"Gloria, I did not wish to make an example of you, do not force my hand; give me the cloak." There was a sudden noise outside of the house; all three heads turned to the large window. "Pius, go and see what that is." Obediently, Thicknesse headed downstairs, wand raised. With Grindelwald's focus elsewhere, Ginny slipped her hand into her bag and pulled out her galleon.

 **Harry Potter – Present Day**

 **December 25, 1999**

Harry walked into George's room to find a teary-eyed Molly Weasley. Not wanting to intrude, he tried to sneak away, but she had heard him.

"Harry, Dear, come in," she said, wiping her eyes on a handkerchief. "So sorry, Dear, it's just so h-hard, being c-christmas and all…"

"I understand, Mrs. Weasley. I promise you, we will fix this."

She took a deep breath and embraced Harry. "I know you will, Dear, you never cease to amaze me."

Not knowing how to respond, Harry said, "thank you, Mrs. Weasley."

"Harry, Dear, you have been in my family much too long to refer to me as _Mrs. Weasley._ Please, refer to me as Molly. You are, after all, dating my daughter!"

"Er, okay, Molly." Harry felt awkward saying it, but the look on her face showed how pleased she was that he had.

"Shall we go enjoy dinner, then?"

"Yeah, I'm starved." The two of them headed to the very crowded kitchen and took their seats. Dinner went without a hitch; there were no talks of Grindelwald, no talks of Abracadabra, there were rarely any talks of George, either. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, all except for Harry, who had a growing pain in his stomach the longer time went by without hearing from Ginny. As dessert was coming to an end, the rest of the Order members started to file in for their meeting, and, to Harry's displeasure, his private meeting with McGonagall and the Weasleys.

"Ready, Potter?" asked McGonagall, after greeting her fellow members.

"I guess," Harry answered.

"Meet me in the kitchen then, I'll make sure everyone is gathered in the meeting area before I ask Arthur and Molly for a private word."

"Okay." He entered the kitchen and poured himself a drink of water to calm his nerves. He nearly dropped his glass when he felt his galleon grow unexpectedly hot. "Ginny!" he said, hastily grabbing the galleon and fumbling it before turning it on it's side to read.

 _He's here._

That's it, that was all she was going to say? Not sure whether he should reply or not, he headed towards the door to find Professor McGonagall and show her, prior to their discussion with the Weasleys. He was too late, however, as McGonagall, Arthur, and Molly Weasley were walking into the room.

"What's this about, Minerva?" Molly asked. "Surely it could be discussed in the meeting?"

"I do not think it wise, just yet, to inform everyone of the information that Potter has received." At that, all three pairs of eyes turned to him.

Harry took, a deep breath, handed the galleon to McGonagall, and spoke. "I know where Ginny is and I'm worried about her." It didn't take long to fill in Arthur and Molly, and Harry was thankful that McGonagall had taken over and told them for him.

As suspected, Molly was hysterical. "We must go get her at once!"

It was Arthur, however, who was the voice of reason. "Molly, we cannot do that."

"Arthur, our little girl-"

"Is not so little. She made her decision and we would only put her in more danger if we were to go to her aid."

"She could die!" Molly cried.

"Ginny is a lot tougher than she is given credit for; she can handle herself," said Arthur, choosing that moment to look at Harry.

"Potter, she has written again," said McGonagall, handing his galleon back to him.

 _He wants the cloak._

Harry re-read the message aloud. "He wants the cloak?"

"She is with him? Actually _with_ him?" Molly shrieked.

"It would seem that way, Molly," answered McGonagall. "Potter has a very rare invisibility cloak that Ginny had borrowed, it seems that he wants her to hand it over."

"What would he want with it?" asked Arthur.

"The Deathly Hallows," Harry spat out. When he received three quizzical looks, he went on to explain. "Dumbledore told me that Grindelwald was obsessed with becoming the Master of Death and getting all three of the Hallows. You know, the ones in the Tale of the Three Brothers."

"But that's a child's story!" said Molly, exasperated.

"It's actually based on a true story. I'm a descendent of one of the brothers, and my cloak is the cloak of invisibility mentioned in the story."

"You have Death's cloak, do you?" said Molly, in a somewhat mocking tone.

"Yeah, I do," said Harry, matter-of-factly, "and I had all three in my possession at one point."

Molly made to argue, but Arthur stopped her. "Harry has never lied before, even when the story sounded unbelievable. Let us not forget the story of Sirius and Ron's rat." Molly nodded, and Arthur continued, turning to Harry. "Where are the other two hallows, son?"

"I'm sorry, but I don't think I should say," Harry said quietly.

"I quite agree, Arthur, let the secret die with Potter," said McGonagall.

"I suppose that is best," he agreed.

"What about Ginny?" Molly almost yelled.

"Do you reckon I should reply?" Harry asked the group. Before anyone could answer, he received another message.

 _Do not reply. I will be there soon._

"Be where? Be here?" Molly asked him.

"I don't know, it seems like it," he answered her.

"Right now, we need to trust Ginny. Harry, when she does arrive, you need to allow her in here, for good."

Harry knew better than to argue with Arthur. He nodded his head in acknowledgement, then turned to his Professor. "What do we tell the Order?"

"The truth," she said, "but we do so lightly. This is a lot of new information to take in, and when Ms. Weasley arrives here, I am sure we will receive plenty more."

Harry ignored the voice in his head saying _if she arrives_ , and instead told himself to do something that he hadn't done in a very long time: Trust his girlfriend.

 **Gellert Grindelwald – Present Day**

 **December 25, 1999**

Gellert stood over the girl crying in the middle of the room. The noise they had heard earlier was an intruder; Pius had brought up a girl that he found snooping around the outside of the cottage.

"Who are you?" Pius had asked her.

"My name is Magdalena, please don't hurt me, I was only picking some flowers!" said the scared girl.

"A likely story, who sent you? The Order?"

"What's the O-Order?"

"Pius," Gellert finally intruded. "She's a muggle. How old are you, girl?" he asked, looking at the frightened child.

"Fourteen," she answered.

"Old enough to know better than to snoop!" spat Pius.

"Don't hurt her!" Gloria yelled. Gellert turned to the Weasley girl. She was definitely brave, but also cunning. Had Pius not have told him that she were a Gryffindor, he would for sure have suspected her to be a Slytherin.

"Gloria, this girl is an intruder, and for that, she will have to be eliminated." He was testing her; he wanted to know how far he could use her.

"Killing an intruder is for the _Greater Good_ , is it? I thought you weren't evil?"

Gellert smiled at her, then turned back to the newcomer. "Abracadabra!" he chanted. He watched the girl stiffen and lay motionless, as if dead. From the corner of his eye, he saw Gloria look at him, but she did not say anything. So, she picked up on the spell; she really was much smarter than he had anticipated. "The cloak, Gloria, it is time for us all to go. Pius, dispose of this," he said, indicating to the girl on the ground.

"I'll take her, but I'll need the cloak to return, too." Ginny said, staring at him hard.

"You are a very brave girl, Gloria," he laughed. "Hand over the cloak, take the girl, and go."

"I have a better idea," she told him, confidently.

"Oh?" he said, eyebrow raised.

"I take the girl, the cloak, _and_ your letter for Harry. Then, I'll come back in about a week, with Harry's response and-" she hesitated before continuing, "and the answer to your Horcrux question."

Gellert was intrigued. "How do I know you will return?"

"You know where I live, you know who my family is, you can easily kill us all if I don't."

"You have no idea where I am headed."

It was her time to smirk, "I'll find you."

Gellert considered her answer. "You will not return with the cloak, and that is something I cannot give up." He watched her think for a very long. "Leave, Gloria, drop the cloak and go, I do not have time for these games."

"I need the cloak to take her home to her parents; they deserve the right to bury their daughter."

Gellert thought long and hard. He had never allowed anyone to tell him what to do; he was the infamous Grindelwald, after all. This girl, however, she was very intriguing, and he did have several questions… "You come back in a week, _with the cloak,_ Potter's response, and the answers to my questions. You come _alone,_ Gloria, and we make a habit of regular meetings. You do this, and I assure you that your family will live."

Gloria nodded. "My wand, please."

Gellert walked over to her, handed her the letter and the wand, and grabbed her wrist. "You return with that cloak, Gloria, do not test me."

Gloria pulled her wrist free, threw the cloak over the girl on the ground, and levitated her. She was half way out the door when she turned to him and said, "I'm not the one who can't be trusted." She glanced briefly at Pius, then left.

Gellert broke out in a deep, hearty laugh. "What a girl!" he said, enthusiastically.

"Why did you let her take the cloak, Master?"

"Pius, my trusted ally, she will return, and she will bring me more answers than she realizes." He continued to laugh to himself; she knew about the spell, which meant Potter knew about the spell. Oh, this was going to be a lot of fun.

 **Hermione Granger – The Past**

 **June 1, 1998**

Ron and Hermione apparated at the end of quiet street and walked hand in hand to a house Hermione led them to. She stood in front of the big house and sighed; although it was dark out, she recognized every chipped brick, every shrub, even the small chipped paint on the corner of the front door.

"So, this is where you grew up?" Ron asked her.

She nodded in response. "My parents sold it when I charmed them to move to Australia; I probably wouldn't recognize the inside anymore."

"So, who lives there now?"

"I don't know, and truthfully, I don't want to know." This was a very sad moment for Hermione; she had lost her parents and she had lost her home. She sniffled back a tear and turned to Ron. "Come on, my stuff is back here." She led him to the backyard where a small shed stood in the corner. "Alohomora," she said, and the door opened at once.

"How did you get away with keeping everything in there?" Ron asked her. "Surely the new homeowners would have thrown it all out."

"Muggle-repellent spell," Hermione smiled. "The muggles who bought this place don't even know that this shed exists."

"Brilliant!" said Ron. "And where are these muggles now?"

"I sent them away to some sporting area for the evening. Kingsley gave me the idea; they used the same tactic on the Dursley's one time when they needed them out of the way to get Harry."

Ron picked up the nearest box and frowned. "How are we supposed to transport all of this?"

"This wasn't the only thing I kept," she answered. "Follow me." Hermione led Ron a few houses down where a dead-end alley was present. She waived her wand vigorously, and suddenly a dark blue caravan appeared. "Disillusionment Charm," she told him, "and a muggle-repellent charm for good measure. This was my parents' vehicle. Come on, get in." She drove the caravan back to her old house, and together the pair of them loaded the vehicle with all of the possessions she had saved. Once they finished, Hermione got behind the wheel with Ron in the passenger seat, and she slowly drove away for the last time.

"How do you even know how to drive this thing?" Ron asked her.

"I got my permit during the summers at home," she told him.

"What?" he asked, surprised.

"Why are you so shocked?" she laughed, "Ron, I'm muggle-born, remember? Things like getting a Driver's Permit is normal for me."

"Blimey, Hermione, there is loads I don't know about you."

"Well, luckily you have the rest of your life to find everything out."

Ron smiled at her, but then curiosity changed his train of thought. "Where are we going?"

Hermione gripped the wheel tighter. "I don't know," she said sadly. "Other than Hogwarts, I have nowhere to live. I suppose I'll go put all of this in storage, and then once I finish school, I'll have to find a house."

"Hermione…" said Ron slowly.

"Hm?"

"What if… Well, I'm going to be working at the Ministry with you and Harry, so I'll have money soon, and we are dating… So maybe we can…" he took a deep breath and tried again. "Maybe we can buy a house together, you know, since we are together. I don't mean right now, I can stay at my parent's house until you're ready, maybe we can just buy it and, I don't know, get it ready, until…"

"Until what, we are married?" Hermione finished.

"Well, you know, one day, I'm sure Mum and Dad will expect me to be a gentleman and..."

Hermione laughed, "I love that idea, Ron!"

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Well, Harry is _finally_ starting to trust Ginny, and I promise it's only going to go uphill from here! I love Arthur in this chapter; he's calm but logical and is giving Ginny the credit she deserves. I also love Ginny in this chapter too; she's showing the true qualities of a Gryffindor.

To reply to a few things: Throughout the story, different character's POVs are going to be more prominent than others. To start, I was really focusing on Draco and Hermione because of his hearing and Hermione's decision to help him. (I'm also a huge Dramione fan!) But as you can see, Ginny and Grindelwald's story is going to start being the focus. That doesn't mean I won't talk about the others, it's just at certain parts I focus on one thing more than the other. The concern was that I won't focus too much on Ginny and Harry but that is not the case. All in due time! Eventually, the focus will go onto Neville, then onto Amelia, then back onto Ginny, then onto Ron, etc etc... There's plenty of story to cover so even if you feel that a character is on the back burner, just keep in mind it's only for the time being. The main storylines haven't even begun to unfold. We still have to deal with Grindelwald, figure out the Abracadabra curse, found out what's happening with Amelia, have Draco's next hearing, discover who is buried with the Potters, and that's just the stuff I've introduced, there is still plenty of new things to come about.

The next chapter all happens at the Order, so plenty of Ginny in this one, as well as Grindelwald, the Order, and Harry.

Thanks as always for the reviews and I hope you enjoy!


	20. A Letter to Harry

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty: A Letter to Harry**

 **Ginny Weasley – Present Day**

 **December 26, 1999**

It was well past midnight when Ginny finally found herself facing Number 12 Grimmauld Place. When she had found herself back on the other side of the big hill near _Les Bonbons de Renee,_ she used the cloak to cover up Magdalena's body and kept her wand hidden by her sleeve as she used to levitate the body. She had no idea what that spell was, but it was not Avada Kedavra, and she knew deep down that this muggle girl was not dead. Seeing as though she was a muggle, however, Ginny could not apparate with her, so she had to take the muggle way all the way to the Order. She was lucky enough to have caught a train, bought two seats, (one concealing the invisible unconscious Magdalena), and eventually found herself standing outside of Sirius Black's old house. She had messaged Harry a few moments earlier with her galleon to meet her outside, but he wasn't there. "Harry!" she called out at the spot between houses 11 and 13, knowing that number 12 was magically concealed in between. "Harry, come on!"

"Ginny!" Harry finally appeared out of nowhere, clearly stepping out of the boundaries of the wards. "Are you alright?" he asked, running towards her and embracing her.

"I'm fine, but I have loads to tell you, and I have someone with me, under your cloak."

"What? Who?"

"She's a muggle and she's not awake. Quick, Harry, let's get inside, please!"

"Okay, here." Harry handed her a paper with the words _Number 12 Grimmauld Place_ on it, and the house instantly appeared. "Incendio," Harry said, burning the paper. Clearly, he must have been secret keeper. The pair walked into the house with the invisible Magdalena floating alongside them, when screeches and plenty of pressure hit Ginny.

"Ginny! My baby! You're okay!" Molly Weasley grabbed her daughter and hugged her so tightly, that Ginny lost control on her wand and they heard Magdalena fall to the ground with a loud thud.

"I'm fine, Mum, let go!" she managed to get free from her mother and nodded towards the invisible girl. "Harry, help me with her." Ginny removed the cloak and Molly gasped.

"Who is that?"

"A muggle," Ginny said, nodding to her father as he entered the room. "Grindelwald used a spell on her, but it wasn't Avada Kedavra."

"We know what it is, Ginny," said Arthur, "it's called-"

"No!" yelled Harry, literally standing in front of Ginny and blocking her from view. "Don't say anything to her."

"Harry, we talked about this," said Arthur, wiping his glasses clean on his robes.

Harry shook his head. "It's not that, we are all under the protective charms, remember? You can't speak about anything to anyone who isn't in the Order. Ginny, come with me, Kingsley can help me get you inducted. Mr. Weasley, can you take the girl upstairs for now?"

Arthur nodded, "I'll place her next to George."

"Come with me, Ginny," Harry sighed, leading her to the empty kitchen. "I'll get Kingsley, he's with the rest of the Order in the other room waiting to start the meeting, but I'll have him come here first, induct you, then we will bring you in."

"Thank you, Harry." Ginny watched him walk away, clearly upset. She knew that he was not happy that she was _finally_ being inducted, but she belonged here and he would just have to get over it. He returned shortly with Kingsley, and instantly started the induction process. Kingsley continued the process with Harry, but questioningly at Ginny.

"Okay, you're in," Harry said, flatly. "Let's go let everyone know." Ginny followed Harry and Kingsley into the next room where the entire Order was waiting.

"Ginny?" Ron said, surprised.

"Alright, everyone, we are going to start." When Harry spoke, the room went silent. "As you can see, Ginny Weasley has joined the Order of the Phoenix. The reason is because she has some information for us."

"That's hardly the reason I joined, Harry," Ginny interjected. She knew he had his reasons to be so protective of her, but she was not about to let the rest of the Order treat her the same way. "I've been doing some research of my own, outside of the Order, and have come to similar conclusions that I've just learned you have come up with us well," she said, addressing everyone. She watched Harry step back, defeated, from the corner of her eye, and she continued her story. "I learned about Grindelwald's escape from Nurmengard, I just don't know how."

"We do," Charlie told her. "Well, only partially. It was a spell."

"Abracadabra?" Ginny asked.

"How do you know that?" Hermione questioned.

"I followed Pius over the hill and found a cottage where Grindelwald is hiding out in, I saw him use that spell on someone else."

"So, we have confirmation that it is him then?" asked Aberforth.

"Well, we have more than that, I had a full conversation with him, and he's gone into hiding now, so you won't find him anymore."

"You had a conversation with him?" Professor McGonagall repeated, "and you're alive to tell us about it?"

"Only because he needed my help. He asked me to deliver a letter to Harry; I wouldn't have been able to if he killed me." She reached into her robes and pulled out the folded piece of parchment and handed it to Harry. She watched him fumble with it for a few moments.

"I can't unfold it," he said, confused.

"Let me see," came Hermione's voice. She took the folded parchment from him and after a few seconds, she said, "It's charmed. You most likely can only open it when you're alone."

"We will go search the cottage and see if he left any clues. In the meantime, Potter, you can go upstairs and read the letter," decided Kingsley.

"We should hear Ginny's full account first, I think," chimed in Percy.

"I quite agree," came Essa Delacour's voice. "How were you able to follow Pius Thicknesse?"

She stared at the silent Harry, but with an irritated nod from him, she started her tale. "So, Harry has this cloak…"

 **Hermione Granger – Present Day**

 **December 26, 1999**

Hermione had just sat for about a quarter of an hour listening to Ginny's account on how she met with and escaped Gellert Grindelwald. She was proud of her friend for doing all that she had done, but was sad that because of Harry, Ginny had to risk her life and do all of this without any back up. So much could have gone wrong, and that, for the first time, would have been Harry's fault. The room was quiet after Ginny finished recounting what had happened.

"So, you have to go back?" Ron finally asked.

"That's the plan."

"It's too dangerous," said Harry.

"I couldn't agree more!" nodded Molly.

"Nobody cares about the welfare of my daughter more than I do," stepped in Arthur, "but my daughter was able to do something that none of us here were able to do, I think that should mean something."

"This is the best chance we have to do anything, and if I don't go, I'm risking more than just my life; he will kill me and my entire family!"

"We'll figure out another way," decided Harry, "nothing will happen to anyone."

"Enough Harry!" Ginny yelled. "Stop treating me as some child that can't do anything! I am a member of this Order and if you can consider sending _anyone_ to him, then I am to be considered just as equally!"

"She is right, Mr. Potter," agreed Professor McGonagall. "I'm sorry, Molly," she added, seeing the look that Molly was giving her, "but she is a member of this Order and this mission should be for her. Grindelwald is expecting her return, and so, she will return. We will of course set up a guard and some sort of plan of action to ensure her safety, but she needs to do this."

"Let us first deal with the location and the letter, and go from there," said Essa, taking charge and trying to deflect the tension that was starting to build amongst certain people. "We need a few people to go to the cottage and search for anything, really." She transfigured a few items around her to replicate the lay out of the big hill and the cottage, based on Ginny's description. "I would say at least five of us should go. One at the entrance, one here, and one there," she said, pointing to certain parts of her display, "and then two inside to search," she finished.

"We should keep someone at the apparating point too, just in case. I can do that," Percy volunteered.

Essa nodded. "I'll guard the door; who would like to search the cottage?"

"I will," said Helen.

"So will I," offered Bill.

"Great, and the other two guards?"

"I'll take the left," stated Arthur.

"I'll take the rear then," offered Aberforth.

"Wonderful, I suggest you go now then. He shouldn't still be there, but stand your guard, nonetheless. Potter, you should go upstairs and find out what is in that letter." Kingsley ordered. The six individuals heading to France took off at once, while Harry made his way upstairs.

"Ms. Granger," said Dedalus Diggle, continuing the meeting with the remaining members, "Potter has the cloak, as he has just shown us, and Grindelwald knows that too. Do you think he has the other two hallows?"

Hermione shook her head. "He doesn't; Harry had all three at one point but dispersed them so that nobody could ever have all three."

"Don't you think we should guard them, to ensure that he doesn't get them?" asked Hestia Jones.

"Oh, nobody will get them," Ron chuckled. "Only me, Harry, and Hermione know where they are, and trust me when I say that they cannot be found."

"It's probably best that nobody knows where they are, anyway." Hermione added.

"What is he like, Ginny?" Ron asked his sister.

"Too be honest, he comes across as a nice person. If I didn't know who he was, I wouldn't have kept my guard up around him."

"Zat is more dangerous zen 'E-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named; people will not know to take precaution with Grindelwald as zey did with You-Know-Who."

"I agree," said Hermione. "Voldemort was so evil that his whole demeanour put people on edge. If Grindelwald acts like everyone's best friend, people won't fear him, they may actually trust him!"

"An' the worst part is they don' know he's back, do they, so they don' even have a reason ter be suspicious," said Hagrid.

"I'm afraid we may have to break it to the public soon, particularly now that he has reached out to Potter. As the Minister of Magic, I cannot keep this contained for long," Kingsley said, frowning.

"Let us see what Potter's letter says, as well as what the other's find, Kingsley, then we must decide what to do," suggested McGonagall.

"Hey, Hermione," Ginny whispered quietly to her. "Can I see George?"

"Oh my goodness, I completely forgot! Yes, of course! Follow me," Hermione told her, leading her upstairs to the room where George, and now Magdalena, were kept.

"So I was right about the spell," Ginny said, after a long time of silently observing her brother.

"Yes, you were, and Magdalena is very lucky that you did; at least this way we can eventually revive her."

"Have you guys figured out how yet?"

"Sadly, no, but…" Hermione sighed before continuing. "I wanted to tell you but with the Order protective charms I couldn't! I've only told Harry this so far so please don't tell anyone else but I think I know where to get the counter-curse."

"If you know that, why haven't you told anyone?" Ginny asked, skeptically.

"Because it's not that simple. Malfoy knows the answer but he refuses to tell anyone, and Crabbe was actually put under the spell and brought back, but he too won't tell anyone."

"Why haven't you told anyone?" Ginny repeated.

"Because…" Hermione hesitated. "If I tell them about Crabbe it will lead to Malfoy and I don't want to see that, he's been through a lot…"

"Hermione, you still care for him, don't you?"

"Well, of course I care for him! You don't just stop caring for someone! But I care for Viktor more, if that's what you're getting at."

"Sure, keep lying to yourself." Hermione scowled at her, but Ginny just laughed. "Well, this is in your hands, Hermione. Do what you must but find this counter course, and fast."

"I will," Hermione nodded, "I have a plan."

 **Harry Potter – Present Day**

 **December 26, 1999**

Harry entered the room that he usually shared with Ron and closed the door behind him. Why was Grindelwald sending him a letter, and why would he charm it so that only Harry could read it? Surely he knew that Harry would tell the Order what it says regardless? Curious, he sat on the bed and began to unfold the parchment easily, unlike his attempt downstairs. He began to read the letter:

 _Dear Harry Potter,_

 _It would have been my intention to send this letter to Albus Dumbledore instead, but alas, he is no longer here, killed by one of Tom Riddle's men, I heard. A pity; Albus Dumbledore was a good man. You must know, of course, of my relationship with Albus when we were much younger. We had formed a bond, a strong one, and my time in Nurmengard had lead me to believe that you two also shared a strong bond. And so, in lieu of that, I turn to you, Harry Potter. First, I ask that you not believe whatever has been said about me. Trust in your bond with Albus, and trust in his bond with me; he never would have aligned himself with a man that the Daily Prophet and many others have depicted me to be. Of course, your mind will flutter to the famous duel between us, and you will be the first to whom I explain the truth about that night. It was a very different time back then, before Tom Riddle, and before the Wizarding World had any fears. Albus and I were far too advanced at that time, and so, the Wizarding World was not ready for what we could accomplish. Albus knew this, and so he reluctantly stepped down; but I did not. I had hoped that I would sway the Wizarding World to see it my way. And so, because they did not, Albus was forced to do what was expected of him by this undeveloped world, and put a stop to my dream. But he did not kill me, Harry Potter, because he knew that one day, the Wizarding World would be ready for what it was that I wanted to accomplish. Finally, we are brought to that day. The Wizarding World has now learned fear, thanks to Tom Riddle and his pack of murderers, and because of it, they have advanced. And so, it brings me to the point of my letter, Harry Potter, and my need for you. As muggles are now aware of the Wizarding World, it is our responsibility, as the more stronger, powerful, and knowledgeable beings, to take charge. What I am suggesting is not necessarily world dominance in the sense that I wish to rule it all, I merrily mean that with the most power, I can govern everyone and ensure the safety of all. To clarify, I wish to be in control of the wizarding and muggle world alike, to ensure THE GREATER GOOD. With any change, comes delinquents and punishment; I am sure you have seen that for yourself once the muggles were informed of the wizarding world. By dominating the muggles, we ensure their safety as much as our own. Any sacrifices made would be far less than what we would gain from it all. My acts are not heinous, Harry Potter, I simply do what is necessary to ensure that the greater good is achieved. I have now reached the point where I make my request; you alone can help me demand that the greater good be in place and this world becomes a far more better place to live. Dominance requires one strong leader that can make the decisions needed to ensure everything runs smoothly, regardless of what that decision may be. Remember, Harry Potter, all decisions would be made solely for the purpose of the greater good. As I, along with our late Albus, have been planning this since the 1940's; it is only reasonable that I put myself in that position. I have paid my dues for the greater good, and now I am ready to commence. I will require the deathly hallows to ensure that nobody, not even someone like Tom Riddle, can ruin this wonderful world of order that we will create. Further, you will help me explain to the wizarding world, in time, how positive the greater good will be. But first, Harry Potter, the three hallows. I am looking forward to receiving them from Gloria in a week's time. Trust in the bond, Harry Potter, trust in Albus, trust in me, and trust in the greater good._

 _Gellert Grindelwald._

Harry re-read the letter several times, trying to take it all in. After awhile, he made his way back downstairs, just as the six Order members who had gone to Grindelwald's hideout had returned. "Anything?" Harry asked them.

Bill shook his head. "Completely cleaned out, except for this," Bill handed Harry a piece of parchment.

 _My instructions have been left to Harry Potter._

"What did your letter say, Harry?" Ginny asked him.

"A lot," he said truthfully. "Basically, he wants-" Harry choked on his words. "He's asked me to-" Harry tried to explain the letter, but nothing came out.

"It's okay, son, we will protect you, go ahead and tell us," said Arthur.

Harry shook his head. "It's not that, I'm trying to tell you but I can't. Grindelwald-" but again, nothing came out when Harry tried to speak.

Hermione walked over to him and grabbed the letter out of his hands. "It's blank," she said, looking at it.

"What? No it's not! It says that he-" Harry growled in frustration. "What is going on?" he yelled.

"Mr. Potter," said Professor Flitwick, walking over to him and taking the parchment from Hermione, "it seems as though this letter has been charmed. I am not sure why, but Grindelwald has made it so that only you may know the contents of this letter."

"How did he do that?" Harry asked.

"The same way we have charmed the members of the Order," answered Kingsley.

"But why?" Harry asked angrily. "This is stupid!"

"I suppose he does not want you to tell us because he doesn't want our influence on you. Sounds like him," Aberforth grumbled."

"I forgot you knew him," Harry said. "What was he like?"

"Arrogant. He thought he knew everything and wanted to control everyone. I'm not surprised he charmed you, Potter, that way only he can persuade you and nobody else can get in your ear."

"If he thinks that I am going to-" but yet again, Harry couldn't speak. "Aargh!" Harry spent the next quarter of an hour trying to get around the charm. He tried to speak until he was red in the face, he even tried to write things down, but no matter his efforts, Grindelwald had made it impossible for him to speak of the letter's contents. Defeated, Harry collapsed on a nearby chair. "What do I do now?" he finally asked the group.

"Well, he told me that I am to deliver him your response in a week's time, so I am assuming he asked you something?" Ginny asked him. Harry nodded. "So then, I guess you answer him."

"I don't know what to say," Harry admitted.

"You have always made the right decisions in any situation Harry, you'll figure it out," Hermione encouraged.

"Hermione, I've always had help, you know what," he countered.

"You'll still have help, Harry," pipped in Neville. "Let's talk about different situations and what we should do, maybe we will guess the right one and you'll have your answer."

"Let's make a list," said Hermione, "I'm sure we can figure it out." The Order started throwing out ideas as Hermione began writing them out. Harry stood up and went upstairs; he was too frustrated to sit there and listen, so he decided he would read the list later and found himself heading to Sirius' old bedroom. Since his death, Harry had locked his Godfather's bedroom and did not allow anyone to enter. "Colloportus," he said, waving his wand and unlocking the door. He entered the forbidden room and sat down on his Godfather's bed. "Sirius, I need you now more than ever," he said sadly, putting his face in his hands.

 **Ron Weasley – The Past**

 **June 1, 1998**

The drive from Hermione's parents house to the Burrow was a long one. So long, in fact, that it required them to stop for the night at an inn.

"Should we stop at a magical one?" Hermione asked Ron as they were driving down a busy street.

"There are muggle ones?" he asked, surprised.

"Of course, Ron, they travel and stuff too! They aren't completely different you know, they just have technology as opposed to magic."

"What's teknalogy?"

"You'll learn about it when you start muggle studies."

"Oh yeah, new classes, don't remind me," he said grumpily.

"I think we should stop at a muggle one, anyway. Wizards aren't used to vehicles and the van is full of stuff that I don't want to lose."

"Okay, do you know where one is?"

"No, but you'll always see them along the roads… Look, there's one there!" she said pointing, and turning off the main road. Hermione did the checking in and parked the van in front of their room. She showed Ron how the key card worked to his amazement, then the pair set off to a nearby restaurant to enjoy a nice dinner. It was still very early, but since they wanted to complete their journey by tomorrow, the two had agreed to go to sleep early so that they could set off as soon as possible to the Burrow and finish their long trip.

"So, there's only one bed…" Hermione stated awkwardly, when they entered their room again.

"Hermione, we slept in a tent side by side for almost a year! Besides, you're my girlfriend now; this is perfectly normal," he told her, patting the bed beside him for her to lay down. Hesitantly, Hermione laid down next to him (after changing into her pajamas in the small adjoining bathroom.) Ron put his arm around her and pulled her close, feeling her body tense up. Trying to comfort her, he started to rub her side slowly, showing her that everything was okay. Godric, she was beautiful, he thought. He kissed her shoulder and took in her scent; she was his witch and he was one lucky wizard. He made to move her hair so that he could kiss her neck, when she jumped out of the bed in a panic. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"I-I can't," she stammered. "I need some air."

"Hermione!" Ron called after her, but she had already grabbed her cloak and took off. It took Ron nearly an hour to finally locate her; she was down a small quiet street standing in front of a small white house. "There you are!" he said, catching his breath.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" she asked him.

"What?"

"The house," she told him. "A small little house with a white picket fence, and a garden, and look, a garage for the van! Oh Ron, it's perfect!"

"Is this the kind of house you want one day?" he asked her.

"Yes! It's the perfect size to raise a family and, Ron, look!" she said excitedly, pointing at the street sign.

"Griffin Lane," Ron read.

"How perfect!" Hermione squealed. "Of course, I know I can't have _this_ house, but one day I would love to have one just like it!"

"And so when we are ready to buy a house, we will look for one exactly like this," Ron assured her.

"Really?" she asked him.

"Really," he promised. She tiptoed to kiss him lightly, but then shied away. "What happened at the inn, Hermione?" he asked her softly.

Hermione blushed. "It's not that I didn't like what you were doing," she started, "it's just that… Ron, I-I'm not ready."

"Ready for what? _Ooooh,_ " he said, catching on. "Hermione, I, uh, I wasn't-"

"You weren't?"

"No, I was admiring your beauty."

"Oh."

"Not that I don't want to, of course! But, when you're ready."

"When I'm ready." Hermione smiled. "You don't mind?"

"Why would I mind? I have you forever, there's no rush."

Hermione grabbed his hand. "I'm sorry," she said.

"Don't be," he smiled. The pair walked back to the inn and cuddled into each other and went to sleep. It was a beautiful early morning when they got back into the van and continued their journey to the Burrow. As they drove past Griffin Lane, Ron noticed a man placing a "For Sale" sign on the front lawn of Hermione's dream house. Ron looked over to see if Hermione had noticed, but she was too focused on driving.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** To my wonderful followers, I want to apologize about my delay in posting. I had surgery on Saturday and have been recovering. I promise as soon as I am 100% I will be posting as frequently as I was. It took me awhile to get this one up but I couldn't let you guys down! I should be feeling better by next week.

Okay, so Ginny is finally in! I hope you all are happy about that! The next chapter has an important scene between Ginny and Harry that I think will be appreciated by many! That's all I am going to say here!

We shall talk soon, and thanks as always!


	21. Redemption

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-One: Redemption**

 **Ginny Weasley – Present Day**

 **December 26, 1999**

"Harry?" Ginny entered Sirius' old room slowly, where she saw Harry sitting on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands. She sat beside him and rubbed his back. "Are you okay?"

"No," he said into his hands.

"Harry, talk to me," she said.

He lifted his head and looked at her. "You're not supposed to be here, in the Order," he sighed.

"Harry, I was meant to be here, I can help. Look at what I was able to do! Imagine what else I can contribute if I actually know all of the facts!"

"Ginny, you don't need to convince me about your abilities. I know you're smart, probably smarter than me! I never said you weren't good enough to be in the Order."

"Then why are you treating me this way?" she finally yelled.

Harry sighed. "I have lost so many people that I love. It is something I need to come to terms with, but I don't know if I can. But you, Ginny, how could I allow you to be near any of this danger? You're the one person I love most in this world; I can't let you die because of me."

"Enough, Harry!" Ginny said, angrily. "Nobody has died for you! People have died because there was a war! If people die now, it's because of another war! None of it is because of you!"

"YES IT IS!" Harry retaliated. "Sirius is dead because he came to the Ministry to save me! Moody died trying to bring me to a safe place! Fred died fighting against Death Eaters because Voldemort wanted me! My parents-"

"Your parents died so that their son could live and stop the dark wizard who was killing all of their loved ones!" Ginny yelled, louder than Harry. "They died for everyone! Just like Fred, just like Sirius, just like Moody! They died for the cause, Harry, not for you. THIS IS NOT YOUR FAULT!"

"YES IT IS!"

"Oh, for the love of Merlin," Ginny grumbled, kneeling in front of Harry and grabbing his face. "I'm done with this, Harry, look at me! If I had died yesterday, it would have been because of Grindelwald and not you. When I do die, it will not be by your wand. Nobody in this world has died by your wand except for Voldemort, so if you wish to blame yourself for a death, blame yourself for his!"

"Ginny-"

"No, Harry, enough of this! You say you love me? Then let me stand beside you as an equal and let's fight this fight together! I did not go to Grindelwald for you; I went for Teddy, for Bill and Fleur's unborn baby, for our future children. Harry, people fight for the good of the world, for a better future!" She knew she was getting through to him as she watched the tears start to escape his eyes. "Your parents wanted you to succeed, Harry, Sirius wanted you to succeed." She watched him take in her words, tears falling faster down his face.

"Remus and Tonks…"

"They died so their son could have a good life, and they named you Godfather to help raise him in this new world."

"Ginny, I am so sorry about Fred…" Harry's words were coming out in a whisper.

"You did not kill my brother; you instead helped save my family." She let go of his face and in turn he grabbed her in to a tight embrace. She soon found herself kissing him hard; his sadness turned to a needed hunger, and the two of them were on the bed kissing in such a passionate way that they had never done before. She didn't know how she found herself under him, but the two started to rip off each other's clothing in a hurried manner. She knew she had her Harry back, and she knew things were going to be different. An hour later, the pair laid there naked and under the covers, after a very wonderful moment of passion. She never expected her first time to go like that, but she of course had no complaints.

"You okay?" Harry asked her, stroking her hair as he kissed her shoulder.

"Never better," she smiled. "Are _you_ okay?"

"How could I not be? Look at the witch that I have at my side."

"That's one lucky witch!" Ginny laughed. Ginny pushed into him tighter, wanting to keep his body against her.

"Hey, Ginny?"

"Hm?"

"I _really_ miss the red hair."

 **Hermione Granger – Present Day**

 **December 29, 1999**

"Hermione, I went through the list three times, what he wants is not on it!" Harry said, for probably the fifth time.

"Urgh!" Hermione said, frustrated. She was pacing back and forth in Harry's living room, trying to figure out what Grindelwald's letter could have said. Just as irritated was Harry, who was sitting on his couch with a newly red-headed Ginny curled up beside him. Ron was sitting on the other couch, eating a sandwich and reading the list that the Order had come up with.

"Well, I have to meet him in two days," Ginny said. "I trust you Harry, I know whatever you write will be the right thing."

"But that's just it, Ginny, I really don't know what to write! If there was a way I could show you guys…" Harry paused. "Wait a minute!" He ran upstairs and returned moments later with a book, which he handed to Hermione.

" _The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore?_ " Hermione read.

"Read this chapter," he told her, turning to the chapter on Dumbledore's childhood with Grindelwald. "Trust me, then ask me yes or no questions; I'll either nod or shake my head."

"Alright," said Hermione, confused, but read the chapter aloud regardless so that Ron and Ginny could hear it too. "Okay," she said, after she finished reading. "So, Grindelwald mentioned Dumbledore in the letter?" she asked. Harry nodded.

"Does he need something from Dumbledore?" Ron asked.

Harry shrugged. "He doesn't know that what he wants is with Dumbledore's belongings," Harry answered.

"Harry!" Hermione exclaimed. "You spoke about the letter!"

"Hey, yeah I did! I guess if it's vague enough I can. Keep going!" he encouraged.

"The article mentioned the Deathly Hallows," Ginny started. Harry was nodding encouragingly. "He wanted your cloak when I was there and the cloak is a hallow… Harry, does he want you to bring him the three hallows?"

"Yes!" Harry yelled euphorically, incredibly happy that they figured it out.

"But, you can't give them to him," said Ron, frowning.

"I know, so what do I do? How do I keep Ginny safe?"

"I'll keep myself safe, Harry," she told him. "Let's just worry about what we are going to tell him."

"Can you ask to meet him yourself?" Hermione offered. "Obviously you won't go alone, but we will be able to apprehend him if we know where he is."

"It's not that easy," said Ginny, "he has wards up; only Thicknesse and myself can enter and he only lifted the wards for me when he saw me coming, but he's not going to lift them for anyone else."

"How did he see you coming if you were under the cloak?" Harry asked.

"The wind," Ginny smiled. "He must have seen my feet."

"Why does he call you Gloria?" Harry asked her.

"I don't know, but I suppose it's better than him knowing my name. He knows I'm a Weasley and he knows you have a girlfriend, Harry, but he doesn't know that it's me."

"Keep it that way," Ron said. "The less he knows, the better."

"We need to decide what to do with the hallows, and we need to decide it now," said Hermione.

"Well, he can't have them, no matter what," said Harry.

"Can you say that you don't have them?" Ron asked.

"He knows I do, thanks to Rita Skeeter," grumbled Harry.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Ginny said. "He told me to ask you about Horcruxes; he wants to know how much of what Rita said was true."

"Pretty much all of it," admitted Harry, "but don't tell him that."

"Then what do I tell him?"

"Just say when you asked Harry about it, he told you Rita was a liar and nobody should believe a word she says," suggested Hermione."

"But you'll need to give him something, or he won't let you go," Harry said bitterly. "Tell him I told you that she was an animagus and that's how she used to get information. Tell him that I think she used to use her animagus form to spy on Voldemort himself. I think that's enough information to satisfy him."

"What is her animagus form?"

"A beetle."

"Seriously?" Ginny questioned. She laughed when Harry nodded.

"And the Hallows? What do we do about them?" Ron asked.

"I suppose I can just tell him-" but whatever Harry was thinking, he was not able to say it aloud.

"Don't get frustrated," Hermione comforted him.

"We trust you, Harry," piped in Ginny. "Do what you think is best; I know you'll keep me safe."

 **Neville Longbottom**

 **December 29, 1999**

Neville put his hand out to receive yet another candy wrapper from his mother. "Thanks, Mum," he grumbled, placing the wrapper into his pocket with the other few that were already in there. He sat there in silence for about an hour; he was feeling guilty about not visiting them on Christmas. He had been studying for his final NEWTs and had lost track of the time so before he knew it, it was time for the Order meeting and therefore could not make it to St. Mungo's.

"Ah, Mr. Longbottom, how are you?" came the voice of Healer Martus, as he entered his parents' room.

"I'm fine, thanks. What are you doing here? You don't normally tend to my parents."

Healer Martus raised an eyebrow at Neville's remark, but chose to answer him regardless. "I am in charge of everything that happens at St. Mungo's, that includes your parents." Seeing that Neville didn't look pleased with his response, he continued. "It just so happens that I have been doing some extensive research in the Cruciatus Curse

and needed to visit a few people who have felt its effects."

"Can you help them?" Neville asked, anticipation rising in his chest.

"I wish I could, Mr. Longbottom. However; one should never give up hope."

"Do you think they can hear me?"

"They most definitely can hear you, the question is if they understand you. They are still there, after all, walking, breathing, seeing… So it is safe to assume that they can hear, too. The Cruciatus Curse tormented their brain to the point that the brain went into shock and has now protected itself from anything. The only way to _fix it_ , for lack of a better word, is to make the brain come out of this protective mode."

"You can do that?"

"It has never been done before, no. My hope is that it will happen one day, but if that would be in this era, I cannot say."

"Yeah, I know," Neville frowned. He hated to admit it to himself, but he had given up hope a long time ago.

"I need about a quarter of an hour with your parents to do some observation. Perhaps you can go get yourself a tea from the lounge?" Healer Martus asked him.

"Yeah, okay." Neville dragged his feet down the hallway towards the staircase. He hated that he had given up on his parents, but after all of these years, he was forced to accept that they would never get better. He kept his head down as he made his way up the stairs to the fifth floor tea room, and therefore didn't realize that someone was coming down. "Sorry," he mumbled. The person, however, froze.

"Nigel?"

 **Vincent Crabbe**

 **May 2, 1998**

Vincent hadn't expected his spell to back fire and come after him, Draco, and Gregory. The fiendfyre he had casted was supposed to take out Potter, the mudblood, and the blood-traitor, yet now he found himself running with his friends for their lives as well.

"Greg," Crabbe panted, as he ran after him and Draco. "What do we do?"

"Keep running," Draco yelled instead. "And find something tall to climb on top of."

"Over there!" yelled Gregory, pointing to a bunch of furniture stacked on top of each other.

"Move, Draco!" snarled Vincent, pushing past him to climb up first with Gregory.

"We are going to die if we don't help each other, Crabbe!" yelled Draco. "Contrary to what you've just said, me and my father are NOT finished, but you and your family will be if you don't help me!"

"Whatever," he replied, pulling up Gregory, then Draco.

"What has gotten into you?" Draco asked him, catching his breath as he sat atop of the piled furniture.

"The Dark Lord already casted your family, Malfoy, just watch and see what happens after the battle. I'm not going to go down with you, I have my own family name to hold up and in case you haven't noticed, we are in good standings with the Dark Lord."

"I've been with you since the beginning, Crabbe, haven't I at least earned your friendship?" When Vincent didn't reply, Draco continued. "We can deal with this later. Come on, we should climb higher." Draco started to climb and Gregory made to follow, but Vincent pulled him back.

"Wait! Listen, we might not survive this, that Fiendfyre is pretty powerful."

"Are you saying goodbye?" Gregory asked, sadly.

"No, I'm teaching you how to survive this. There is a spell that can mimic death, but doesn't kill you. As long as you're under, nothing can hurt you, not even this Fiendfyre."

"So, let's use it then!"

"Well, we can't from up here, the fall will kill us. The spell protects you against other spells, but not gravity. Listen, when Malfoy isn't looking, I'm going to fall, I need you to cast the spell on me but then cast a cushioning spell so I don't hit the ground, got it?" Gregory nodded, but Vincent grabbed him by the scruff of his neck, not trusting him. "I'm serious, my life is in your hands; do not screw up!"

"I won't, but who will cast it on me?" he asked.

"I've signalled my father already, he will come in and cast it on you before the Fiendfyre takes over this place. Afterward, my father will use the countercurse to wake us up," he told his friend, partially honestly. It was true that he did signal his father, but he had no intentions of saving Gregory. "The spell is _Abracadabra_ , got it?"

"Are you guys coming?" Draco yelled, from the very top of the pile.

"Do it now, and don't tell Draco!" said Vincent, as he made to jump.

"Abracadabra!" came Gregory's voice, and Vincent's eyes had instantly closed.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Hello! I am still in recovery but getting better, and it was killing me just leaving you all hanging so here is 21! I feel as though I should be 100 times better next week and I'll be back to regular postings - Promise!

So let's talk about this chapter! To answer the question, yes Ginny and Harry are okay! They have mended whatever issues they had and are working together as a team (at least for now...) I don't think Harry was a complete arse to her.. If we remember Harry in JK's books, he was all about protecting people. Let's think back to Deathly Hallows for a second; He was going to go hunt Horcruxes on his own without Ron and Hermione, remember? And Order of the Phoenix, he wanted to go to the Ministry alone, remember? That's just how Harry is. That is why he was doing that to Ginny - he wanted to protect her because he loved her.

Now, how are you liking the Grindelwald angle? Unfortunately, I cannot prevent death so sadly, we will see some of that, particularly with a war on our hands.

Side note: I'm sure a lot of you picked up what's going on with Neville, however, I will not say anything at this time _just in case_ a few have not figured it out! More discussion on that in future chapters!

The next chapter is pretty straight forward - Ginny returns to Grindelwald with Harry's response. You'll also see a little Hermione/Krum/Draco scene, and a Neville flashback.. Enjoy!

Thanks as always, talk soon!


	22. Harry's Response

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-Two: Harry's Response**

 **Harry Potter – Present Day**

 **December 31, 1999**

 _Dear Gellert Grindelwald,_

 _You want something from me, the Deathly Hallows, but I want something from you, too._

 _I shall give you my Invisibility Cloak if you answer one question for me._

 _You shall have the Resurrection Stone if Gloria and her family remain unharmed._

 _I don't have the Elder Wand, but I know who does. As you know, you need to forcibly take the wand from the owner to gain its allegiance to you. I can tell you who has the wand if you do something for me._

 _Send word with Gloria of a time and place where we can meet and do our exchange._

 _Harry Potter_

 _P.S. Yes, I am in agreement; Albus Dumbledore was a great man._

Harry re-read his letter several times before finally folding it up. He hoped that Grindelwald would let Ginny go and agree to meet him. He didn't know what his game plan was after that, but at least it bought him time and Ginny's safety. He decided to add the "P.S." as a sign of good faith. He had meant that he only agreed with what Grindelwald said about Dumbledore, but he hoped that Grindelwald would assume that he meant that he was in agreement to much more. He hadn't really lied in this letter; there was information that he needed and that was the Abracadabra spell. Harry knew that Grindelwald knew the countercurse and he needed that information desperately to save George, Magdalena, and who knew who else. "Here," he said, handing the completed letter to Ginny.

"It's blank to us," she frowned.

"I figured as much," said Hermione. "Can you attempt to tell us what it says?"

"It says-" Harry attempted to explain, but of course, thanks to Grindelwald's spell, no sound came out. "Be Vague," Harry whispered out loud. After a few minutes, he looked around at the room filled with Order members and said, "trading… information…" Then, as an after thought, he said, "How is George doing?"

"He's the same, as you know…" said Ron, confused.

Hermione gasped. "You're trading him the Hallows for information about Abracadabra!" she concluded.

Harry smiled. "Or so he thinks!"

"Brilliant!"

"I quite agree," said Kingsley. "Ms. Weasley," he said, turning to Ginny. "Are you quite sure you're ready to do this?"

"I am," she nodded, confidently. "And I'm not saying bye, either," she said, turning to her parents. "I'll be fine." She turned to Harry and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "The cloak?" she asked him.

"No." She nodded her understanding, and headed out of the house, with the letter tucked securely into her cloak. Harry instantly started to pull his hair. That was the hardest thing he had ever done, but he needed to trust her and so, reluctantly, and as he had promised, he let the love of his life go.

 **Ginny Weasley – Present Day**

 **December 31, 1999**

It was snowing heavily when Ginny arrived at _Les Bonbons Des Renee._ Helen had informed her earlier that day that Pius Thicknesse had been seen apparating at the same location. She knew that he would not have returned to the cottage, but she figured she would head that way first and go from there. She was about three quarters up the big hill when she noticed something off in the distance. The first time she had traveled here, there was nothing to be seen anywhere. Now, however, stood a large mansion just past the little shack. She made her way over it, feeling the strength of the wards as she passed through them. When she finally reached the mansion, she didn't bother to knock, but instead pushed her way through the unlocked double doors. "Grindelwald!" she called out, knowing that he was the one occupying the mansion.

"Gloria!" he said, walking down the spiral staircase towards her. "Welcome back! Come in, come in!" Ginny walked towards him but stopped when she noticed Thicknesse approaching her from the side.

"Wand," he said, putting his hand out and waiting for her to hand it over.

"Seriously?" she said, putting her hands in her robes and pulling her wand out, all the while staring at Grindelwald. "Is this necessary? I came back, didn't I?"

"Precautions, my dear girl, nothing more! You will of course receive it once more when you leave." She scowled at him, but handed her wand over to Thicknesse. "There's a good girl! Now, let us start with my cloak please."

Ginny acted surprised. "What do you mean? Harry made it seem like your letter indicated that you no longer wanted it. Of course, if you had let him tell us, I would have known for sure and would have been able to comply."

Grindelwald smiled, but his voice was full of authority and anger. "You knew that you were to return with the cloak, Gloria, and knew the consequences if you did not."

"Well, maybe this will explain," she said, handing over the letter from Harry. Grindelwald hastily grabbed the letter from her and read quietly.

"He thinks this is a game," he said, more to himself. "Does he not value your life then, Gloria?"

"Harry isn't a murderer, nor does he allow people to be murdered. I trust him."

"Do you know what this letter says?" he asked her.

"No, you made sure Harry couldn't tell us."

"It seems that Harry Potter has proposed a trade."

"Sounds like a good idea to me," Ginny responded.

"Easy, Gloria, let us not forget who is in charge here."

Ginny dropped the conversation, but then started another. "How come I couldn't see this place before?" she asked, curiously.

"The Fidelius Charm, of course!" responded Grindelwald, not looking up from his letter. "It was lifted just now so that you may enter, and then put back instantly. This way, you may attempt to tell your little Order where I am, but none of them would be able to get in." He was silent for several minutes before he finally lifted his nose from the letter and looked at Ginny. "It seems as though we have a problem," he sighed.

"With Harry's letter?"

"No, I'll deal with him. The problem is with you, Gloria."

"Me?"

"You assured me that you would bring me the cloak. That was a deal I had with you, not with Harry Potter. You did not keep up your end of the bargain."

"Harry took it from me; what else was I to do? He told me that you and him were working it out in your letters, so of course I trusted him! If you had just told me what your letter said, this never would have happened!"

"What is the name of Harry Potter's girlfriend?" Grindelwald asked, randomly."

"Ginny," said Ginny, surprised but honest. The least amount of lies she told him, the safer she would be. Besides, he thought that she was _Gloria,_ anyway, not _Ginny._

"And the Horcruxes? What have you found out?"

"Actually, Harry told me himself that Rita Skeeter is an animagus."

"Is she?" Grindelwald repeated, unsurprised.

"Yes, a beetle," she responded, bothered by the lack of his reaction.

"And?"

"And she must have gotten all of her information from Voldemort himself, in her animagus form, of course."

"Here, we call him Tom Riddle. He is nothing more than that."

"Well, there's something we agree on," Ginny snorted.

Grindelwald smiled. "You know, Gloria, I like you. For that reason alone, you will live. Pius, my friend, do you happen to have a quill?" Grindelwald spent the next few minutes scribbling another note to Harry. "Here you go," he said, handing her the letter. "See you soon, Gloria."

Ginny took the letter and then turned to Pius Thicknesse. "My wand?" she asked, holding out her hand.

"No, I don't think you'll need that," Grindelwald said, before Pius could make a move towards her.

"I need my wand back!"

"Consider yourself lucky that I am letting you leave here in one piece. You did not keep your word; therefore, you do not get your wand. The next letter has very specific instructions: make sure Harry Potter follows them this time. Go, Gloria, and be sure to have that cloak with you at our next meeting."

"I need a wand to apparate," Ginny said, not giving up.

"Take the muggle way, that's what you did with that muggle girl, after all. Oh, surprised that I know?" he added, seeing the look on her face. "Go, before I change my mind." Ginny knew how far she could push. Without a word, she turned on the pair and headed out of the mansion, back up the large hill, and on her way to the nearest train station.

 **Hermione Granger – Present Day**

 **December 31, 1999**

The Order members had dispersed after Ginny had left. Nobody knew how long she would be, and so there was no point for everyone to sit around waiting. Hermione was one of the few who had remained at Grimmauld Place, however. She was pacing back and forth in the room that she shared with Ginny. _Used to share,_ was more like it, however. Since Harry and Ginny had made up, the pair had moved into Sirius' old bedroom and eventually, so did their belongings. Hermione was slowly bringing her own belongings from Hogwarts to Grimmauld Place, as she only had one NEWT left. She had originally packed up her belongings to take to Viktor's Estate, but she somehow found herself bringing them to Grimmauld Place instead. She couldn't bring herself to drop them off yet; she couldn't even bring herself to start referring to his estate as her home. Draco had asked her a few times where they were headed after Hogwarts. After all, he only had two NEWTs left, and he knew that he would be finished with school before his next hearing, so he assumed that he would have to go wherever Hermione went. She had already looked into it, and that was indeed the case, but she never told him where they were going. She had dropped hints about finding her own little house, or even rooming with Ginny at the Burrow for awhile, (much to Draco's displeasure), but she never mentioned Bulgaria to him. She felt her galleon grow hot, and read the message that she had just received from Viktor. He wanted to bring in the new year with her and had been asking about it for awhile now. Due to her concern for Ginny, Hermione thought it would not have been a good idea as she was incredibly stressed, so she had lied and told Viktor that she had already promised Draco that she would let him out on the Hogwarts grounds to watch the fireworks. She knew it would have upset him, but there were more pressing matters to deal with at that moment. His most recent message, however, put her in a difficult spot.

 _I want to bring in the new year with you, regardless. I will join you both at Hogwarts._

"Darn," she said outloud. She quickly messaged back, putting herself into a further lie.

 _We are actually going to his mother's manor. I was going to bring a book and read while they catch up._

It wasn't long before Viktor's reply came in.

 _Send me the apparition points._

"Darn!" she said again. She rushed out of Grimmauld Place and apparated back to Hogwarts. As she raced towards the dungeons, she pulled out her galleon again, but this time messaged Draco.

 _Get ready and get out here, we are celebrating New Years with your mum._

By the time Hermione arrived outside of the Slytherin common room, Draco had finished getting ready and was meeting her out front.

"Did I read that correctly? With _my mother?_ "

"Yes, can you owl her? Do you think she will be there?"

"I _know_ she will be there."

"Wonderful, let's go!"

"Hermione," said Draco, as he hurried alongside her. "Not that I am not grateful, but why are we going to the manor?"

Hermione sighed, but did not slow her pace. "I lied and told Viktor I was taking you to see your mum, and now he plans on joining us so we need to be there. And you!" she said, stopping abruptly and turning to him. "You better _not_ tell him the truth!"

"Relax, I won't," he said, putting his hands up in defense. "But, why did you lie?"

Hermione continued walking again and did not answer until they apparated outside of Malfoy Manor. "It's Order stuff, I can't really explain. Look, there's your mum." Narcissa Malfoy must have heard them apparate and was making her way to main gate. "Hello, Mrs. Malfoy, I thought you would enjoy watching the fireworks with Draco."

"Indeed I would," replied Narcissa Malfoy. "But why the sudden kindness?" she asked skeptically.

"I believe that's my business," answered Hermione. She did not show much respect to Narcissa after the treatment that was given to her when she was still Draco's girlfriend. "My boyfriend will be arriving shortly, please let him in. You and Draco may sit privately and enjoy the evening, provided you stay in my eye sight, of course." Draco nodded and Narcissa made to speak, but Hermione cut her off. "I do have one rule, however: neither of you are to speak to Viktor when he arrives."

Narcissa made a noise as if she were to argue, but Draco placed a hand on her arm. "Mum, we don't get much time together. Please just follow her rules."

Narcissa nodded to her son. "Very well," she said.

"Wonderful, and I think I see Viktor now!" Hermione smiled, watching the tall figure approach them. "Hello, love!" she said, tiptoeing to kiss her boyfriend.

"Hello, beautiful," he said, kissing her back. "Draco," he nodded to Draco, clearly being respectful in front of his mother. "And Mrs. Malfoy, thank you for haffing me."

"This way to the backyard," said Narcissa, turning her back on Hermione and Viktor, clearing keeping her word. Once they reached the backyard, Hermione and Viktor set up a bench at one end of the lawn, and Draco and his mother set up a table and chairs at the other end, just out of ear shot, but still within Hermione's eyesight.

"You are an exceptional vitch, Hermione," Viktor told her about twenty minutes into their visit.

"Why do you say that?" asked Hermione, smiling.

"Letting him visit vith his mum," he said, nodding towards Draco and Narcissa. "I vould viss my mum very much as vell, if I vere in his shoes."

"As would I," Hermione agreed quietly.

"Perhaps ve can vork something out so that she can visit him in his ving vonce you guys move in."

"That would be really nice, Viktor, thank you."

He kissed her hand gently. "Your last NEWT is on Tuesday," he said, not as a question but rather a statement. "Should I expect you Vednesday, then?"

Hermione froze; she could not put this off any longer, she supposed. "The weekend actually, if you don't mind," she responded, trying to by herself as much time as possible. It was not that she did not want to, but she didn't believe that she was ready to move in with anyone yet, yet alone her boyfriend.

Viktor nodded in agreement. "The next veekend, then. And him?" he asked, referring to Draco.

"He doesn't know, actually," Hermione laughed, nervously. "I didn't want to tell him until necessary, simply to avoid any arguments from him."

"He can argue all he vants, but it is not up to him," Viktor said, slightly angry.

"No, of course not, but I just didn't want to have to deal with his _attempt_ at arguing, that's all."

Viktor nodded in understanding. "So vat vill you do then?"

Hermione thought for awhile before responding. "Well, he has one of his NEWTs this Wednesday, then his other one isn't until the following Monday, so perhaps I'll bring him Thursday after his NEWT to see the place, and I guess tell him as well." She sat there quietly, thinking some more. "Yes, I think I'll tell him once we are there, then I'll bring him back to Hogwarts, let him pack up all of his things, and bring him back on the following Monday, after his final NEWT."

"I like this idea very much," said Viktor, kissing her hand again. "It vill give us the weekend to ourselves."

Hermione blushed; but not more the reasons Viktor was thinking. "Viktor, you do know I have plenty to do though, with St. Mungo's and the Order…"

"I understand, just like me and my Quidditch," he responded. "That is vy this is the best for us. At least after our busy days are over, ve can still see each other all of the time." Hermione smiled instead of providing a response, and turned the conversation over to Quidditch. For the rest of the night, there was no more mention of Krum's estate, and Hermione actually enjoyed herself as much as she could, despite constantly thinking about Ginny and where she might be. As midnight rolled around, the couple kissed under the moonlight and fireworks, while Draco happily shared a toast with his mother on the other side of the lawn.

 **Neville Longbottom – The Past**

 **June 26, 1997**

Neville was almost out of breath as he ran through the unknown forest. After Dumbledore's death, Hogwarts had fallen to shambles and Neville had received an owl from his grandmother to come home. After receiving permission from McGonagall, Neville apparated home, where he received a stern warning from his grandmother. "Now that he is back, Neville, they are going to come for you. They came after you all those years ago, but your parents had stopped them. Don't think that they won't do it again." It was the first time that Neville had learned the truth about what happened to his parents, but the truth was more painful than he could have imagined. For some unknown reason, the death eaters were after him, but his parents had sacrificed themselves to save him. As he was making his way back to Hogwarts, he came across a few wizards who were talking loudly about the rise of Voldemort and the death of Dumbledore.

"About bloody time that Dumbledore is dead," said the first wizard.

"And now that the Dark Lord has returned, he can finish off what he had started," said the second, excitedly.

"You're a supporter, are you?" asked Neville loudly. Had his mind been clear, he would have known that he was being foolish, but anger and despair were flowing through his veins and he wanted revenge.

"Of the Dark Lord, yeah," said the first. "And you?"

"I'm Dumbledore's man," said Neville, taking out his wand. It had been a fast duel; both full grown men had much more experience than Neville. In fact, Neville had been incredibly lucky to escape with his life. He was badly injured however, but knew he had to keep running or they would for sure find him and finish him off. Finally, after running for almost an hour, Neville collapsed in the middle of the unknown forest. He had just closed his eyes when he heard a girl call out.

"Are you alright?" Slowly, due to the amount of pain he was in, he started to remove his wand from his robes, but then he saw the girl coming towards him with a white little box. "I have a first-aid kit here, are you bleeding? I have band-aids?" He hastily put his wand back in his robes when he realized it was a muggle, but finally passed out from the pain before he could say anything to her.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Hello! First, I wanted to talk about some technical issues. The last three chapters I've posted, I've gotten an error. So they post, but followers aren't getting the notification about it. I am truly sorry and I have messaged the support desk for help, so hopefully this will be resolved soon.

Not much to say about this chapter as it's pretty straight forward. I wouldn't mind hearing your thoughts on the current situation though. Do you think Ginny is safe?

To reply to a review: you will definitely find out Sirius's secret, but it won't be for awhile I'm afraid. My focus right now is Grindelwald, but he will pop up here and there in flashbacks.

I really really really like the next chapter, I've had it planned since the beginning so I hope you enjoy it too!

Thanks as always! Looking forward to some more reviews!


	23. Into the Crypt

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-Three: Into the Crypt**

 **Harry Potter – Present Day**

 **January 1, 2000**

"Ginny!" Harry grabbed his girlfriend and hugged her tightly as she walked through the door of Number 12 Grimmauld Place.

"I'm okay, Harry," she said, returning his hug.

"Ginny!" came a loud squeal from the end of the hall. A teary-eyed Molly Weasley was running towards her only daughter. "Oh, my baby is okay!" she cried.

"Mum, I'm fine!" she said, but she returned her mother's hug nevertheless.

"So wonderful to see you, Ginny," said Arthur, taking his turn to hug his daughter.

"What took you so long?" Harry asked her.

"Grindelwald kept my wand," she said bitterly, "so I had to take the muggle way."

"Never mind, we will get you another wand," said Molly, trying but failing to hug her daughter again.

"Temporarily," Ginny growled, "I'm getting my wand back."

"A-Arthur," stammered Harry, still not used to calling the Weasley parents by their first names. "Can you contact the Order members and inform them that Ginny is okay? I'll call a meeting once we know what happened. I assume there's another letter for me?" Harry asked, turning to Ginny. She nodded in response. "Then let me read it and try to communicate it to you guys before we get everyone in here."

"Good idea," said Arthur, walking towards the kitchen to start contacting everyone who wasn't currently at headquarters.

"Here's the letter, Harry," Ginny said, handing him another folded piece of parchment. Just like the last time, Harry was unable to open it in front of them.

"I'll be right back, then," he said, heading to his new room at Grimmauld Place. He walked into the room, closed the door, sat on the edge of the bed, and began to read:

 _Harry Potter,_

 _Although I can appreciate a business man, you are not in a position to bargain. I have returned Gloria to you even though she did not follow through with the agreement she had made to me. Allow that to be my sign of good faith. I demand that the cloak be presented to me, the resurrection stone, and the name of the Elder Wand owner. Only then, will I be kind enough to return the favor and answer your questions. You have three days, Harry Potter. The cloak, the stone, the name, and Gloria. She will be released with her wand if she follows through. Do not think I am playing, Harry Potter. If Gloria does not return to me in three day's time, I will kill her, I will kill your girlfriend Ginny, I will kill the entire Weasley family, and I will kill you, Harry Potter. Three days._

Harry only had to read the letter once to take it all in. He returned downstairs hastily, where he found Ginny, Molly, Arthur, Ron, and Hermione gathered in the living room. "Well?" asked Hermione, impatiently.

"He's angry," Harry was able to say.

"Because you didn't do as he asked?" questioned Ron.

"Because I didn't bring the cloak?" wondered Ginny.

"Because you asked for something in return?" Tried Hermione.

Since the spell made it difficult to answer those questions, Harry instead asked some questions of his own.

"Ginny, where is he staying?"

"Behind the big hill," she told him. "He actually has a full mansion there, but it's hidden by the Fidelius Charm."

"Lifted for you, I guess?" asked Hermione.

"Yeah," said Ginny. "We can always guard it if we needed to though, at least like that he is forced to stay in there unless he wants to get captured."

"And he thinks Ginny and Gloria are two different people?" asked Harry.

Ginny laughed. "Yup, he thinks I'm Gloria, a relative to the Weasley's, and he thinks you're dating a different Weasley named Ginny."

Harry thought for a long while. There was no way he was going to give Grindelwald what he wanted, but three days was not a long time to prepare for a new war. "Arthur," Harry said, turning to him. "Can you summon the Order please? Looks like we are going to have another battle on our hands."

 **Neville Longbottom – Present Day**

 **January 1, 2000**

Neville had panicked when he saw Jessica in the stairwell, and he turned and ran the other way before she could say a word to him. What was she doing at St. Mungo's? Jessica had been a muggle, he was positive of that fact. He currently sat on his four-poster bed at Hogwarts, thinking about his run in yesterday and wondering what it could have meant. Something hot in his pocket forced him out of his thoughts.

 _Are you ready?_

The message he had just read on his galleon was from Luna. He had completely forgotten that they had arrangements for today. Fumbling slightly, he sent her a "ready" reply, and headed towards Hogwarts main gates.

"Hello, Luna," he said, as he watched her dance towards him.

"How are you, Neville?" she said, smiling.

"Nervous," he said. "But ready." He pushed the thoughts of Jessica from his mind, _for now,_ and grabbed Luna's hand as they prepared for side-along apparition. They arrived at the graveyard together, and Luna lead them towards the Lupin crypt. "Should we wait for dark?" Neville asked Luna.

"It will be dark inside the crypt, so nobody will see us." Luna raised her wand in front of the entry way. "Alohomora!" she said, and the door to the crypt unlocked.

"I guess this is it," said Neville nervously. He pushed the door and it eerily swung open. Inside were about a dozen stone basins, each with a heavy stone lid, and probably covering the final remains of deceased Lupins. "How do we know which ones are Remus and Tonks?" asked Neville, frightened that he might disturb the wrong person laid to rest.

"I think it's these two," said Luna, pointing to the two closest ones to where they were standing. "The last Lupin to go was Remus' dad, right? But that would have been when Remus was still in school. These two are the cleanest and the rest are very dusty. It has to be these two."

"And if it's not?"

"Then we keep looking," she said cheerfully.

"Luna, I don't know about this anymore."

"We have to do this, Neville. You saw the look on Andromeda's face; she wouldn't have the strength to do it herself, and I don't think many others could do it either. We knew Remus and Tonks, but not like the rest of the members did. If they aren't under the Abracadabra spell, it would be too devastating for their loved ones to see the way that they look now."

"I don't want to see the way that they look now," Neville grumbled.

"We need to do this, for the good of the Order."

"Shouldn't we have told someone first?"

"No, I don't think so," replied Luna. "It would bring unnecessary pain for others to even think about it. Come on, let's start with this one." Together, they lifted the incredibly heavy lid that covered the first tomb. "Oh, I think this one must be Remus," said Luna casually. "Hold onto the lid, Neville, I'm going to remove the cloth."

"Quickly, Luna!" Neville panted, struggling with the weight of the lid.

"Are you a wizard or not, Neville Longbottom?!"

"Oh yeah! _Wingardium Leviosa_!"

"Oh, Neville, look!" Luna finally exclaimed.

"I would much rather not," he answered.

"No, it's okay! Remus is only asleep!"

"What?" Neville peered into the tomb and sure enough, there lay Remus Lupin, totally intact and fast asleep. "Merlin's beard, Luna, he's under the spell! That means they _are_ under the Abracadabra spell!"

"Let's hope Tonks is too, come on!" Luna turned and faced the tomb nearest to Remus and waited for Neville to lower Remus' lid and come help her. "Ready?" she asked him.

" _Wingardium Leviosa_!" Neville maintained his concentration on the spell while Luna peered inside.

"She's under it too, Neville!"

"This is fantastic! We need to get them back to the Order!" All of a sudden, both of them felt something hot grow in their pocket. Luna pulled her galleon out first, while Neville set the lid down gently. "What is it?" he asked her.

"There's an Order meeting," she said, reading the message on the galleon.

"Let's close this up then, and go, I can't wait to tell them!"

"No, Neville, we can't just leave them here! They are alive, and because of that, we can't leave them undefended."

"But they are in their graves right now, nobody is going to hurt them."

"Whoever casted the spell on them knew it wouldn't have killed them. We don't know why they saved them, but what if they come back?"

Neville furrowed his brows. "So what do we do?"

"Tell the Order we will be late, then we can sneak them upstairs and put them with George and Magdalena."

"Why don't we just tell them?"

"We will, but it is going to come as a shock and right now everyone is focused on Ginny and Grindelwald; we shouldn't distract them."

"Okay," Neville agreed. "Well, send the message and then let's go, this cemetery is giving me the creeps."

 **Ron Weasley – Present Day**

 **January 1, 2000**

Ron watched Harry face the Order and begin to try and explain what the new letter from Grindelwald said. "So, he's mad," Harry started, clearly struggling with how he can relay the details of the letter successfully around the spell. "He's going to fight," he said plainly. "I can't tell you why, but you can hopefully guess."

"Because you didn't do what he had requested in the first letter?" Ginny offered.

"Correct, but I couldn't do as he asked because it would risk lives and-"

"You don't need to explain your actions, son," said Arthur. "We know you would do the right thing." There were murmurs of agreement around the room.

"Thanks," he said, appreciatively. "So, he's given us a timeline…" Harry trailed off, allowing the room to guess.

"A month?"

"A week?"

"Two weeks?"

"Ten days?"

Harry pointed at Angelina, who had guessed ten days. "No, but keep going with days," he told her. The room erupted with numbers.

"Six?"

"Five?"

"Thirty?"

"Three?" tried Ron.

"Yes, Ron!" Harry exclaimed.

"Three days?" Ron repeated. "So what do we do? How do we stop it?"

"We need to beat him. We need to protect everything that he is going to attack. Bill, is the Fidelius Charm still over Shell Cottage?"

"No, I removed it after the war."

"Put it back up, today." Bill nodded, but did not ask questions. "Arthur," Harry continued, turning to Ron's dad. "Put one up on the Burrow today as well." Not waiting for replies, Harry turned to the rest of the Weasleys. "As of right now, you can only go to the Burrow, Shell Cottage, or here, Grimmauld Place. You must stay within the boundaries of the Fidelius charms, and only travel from place to place by floo powder, that way you are never outside of the boundaries to apparate."

"Harry, were we targeted?" asked Charlie Weasley.

Harry nodded. "Specifically by Grindelwald."

"There is no question then," said Professor McGonagall. "Arthur, Molly, Bill, Charlie, Percy, Ron, and Ginny, do as Potter says; safety first."

Molly agreed. "Of course, but what about the children's education?"

"We can have work sent to them and any lessons required can be done here except for the ones with Professor's who aren't in the Order, of course."

"We can work it out," said Harry. "But that also means no work for awhile," he said, looking towards Arthur, Charlie, Bill, Percy, and even Ron.

"I shall send letters to your work places, indicating that you are doing special services for the Ministry as per the request of the Minister himself," said Kingsley.

"Thank you, Kingsley," said Charlie. "Looks like I'll be hanging around for awhile, Mum."

"Wonderful!" Molly beamed.

"Sorry we are late," came Neville's voice, as he entered the room along with Luna. The pair had been briefed quickly, and then the meeting continued.

"Kingsley," Harry started. "We need a statement to be released before he acts," Harry said, defeated.

"This is the only way?" questioned Kingsley.

"I am afraid so. He's going to act; we need to ensure that we protect as many as we can."

"The rest of the Order needs to stay vigilant," Kingsley said, looking around the room. "We will have to assign patrol schedules and set up defenses."

"Hogwarts," Harry started to list. "St. Mungo's, the Ministry, and anything that contains muggles."

"He's after the muggles?" asked Ron, thinking of Jessica.

Harry nodded. "Luna and Hermione, can you go to Hogwarts to start?"

"On it," said Hermione.

"Dedalus and Helen, can you patrol the Ministry?" Both agreed to do so. "Essa and Neville, can you handle St. Mungo's?"

"Can I trade with Hermione?"

"Sure… Hermione?"

"No problem!" she smiled at Neville.

"Okay, Aberforth, can you handle Hogsmeade?" he nodded in response. Harry continued to create patrol routes until he thought that the most crucial areas were guarded. "We will inform you by galleon when it's time to rotate. Okay, thanks everyone, stay alert! Kingsley, let's go work on your speech; I'll try and tell you as much as I can."

"Harry, wait!" said Luna. "Neville and I have something to say first."

"Uh, okay, what is it?" asked Harry.

Luna stood on top of the nearest chair and smiled. "We didn't want any of you to suffer, especially you, Andromeda," she said, looking at Andromeda and grinning. "So we went to the Lupin crypt and checked to see their current conditions."

"What?" Andromeda grabbed her chest and nearly fell over, but she wasn't the only one.

"No, no, it's okay everyone! We confirmed that they are under the spell!"

"Remus? He's alive?" Harry said, in barely more than a whisper.

"Yeah," said Neville, also smiling. "And so is Tonks; they are under the Abracadabra curse."

"Nymphadora is alive?" It took several wizards around Andromeda to help calm her down. "Harry, please, we must go get them!"

"No need," said Luna, laughing this time. "They are both right upstairs with George and Magdalena. Come, I'll show you."

 **Neville Longbottom – The Past**

 **June 27, 1997**

"Where am I?" Neville stammered, rubbing a painful bump on his head as he tried to sit up.

"Easy, lie back," came the voice of a girl that Neville did not recognize. "You're in my tent. You've been passed out for nearly 24 hours, I almost called a paramedic."

"A paramedic? What's that?" Neville grumbled.

"How hard did you hit your head?" the girl asked. "A paramedic; you know, kind of like a doctor?"

"A doctor?" then it hit Neville; she was a muggle. "Oh yeah, right, a doctor."

"Are you okay? What happened to you? You look pretty beat up."

"I was at the wrong place at the wrong time. A group of drunk men swarmed me and tried to mug me but I eventually got away," Neville lied.

"Barely," she said, brushing hair off of his forehead. "That's a pretty nasty cut; it will take awhile to heal."

"Thanks for helping me, uh?"

The girl smiled. "My name is Jessica, and you?"

"Ne- Nigel." Neville decided to lie about his identity. He did not know who this girl was and he did not know if those death eater supporters would come looking. The only way to keep her safe was if she had no idea who he was. Well that, and perhaps some protective charms. "I'll be right back, uh, need to pee," he said, exiting the tent and ensuring that she did not follow. Once he was confident that nobody was around and that Jessica could not see, he withdrew his wand and started to place protective charms around the area. When he entered the very small tent again, he saw Jessica gathering some pots and pans from a bag.

"Hungry?" she asked him.

"Starved," he said, smiling.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Okay, so JK Rowling took many wonderful characters from us that we can never get back (such as Fred, Dobby, etc) and since I vowed to stay true to what was already written by her, I could not change any of that. However, anything that I can manipulate, I am! For instance, we know Lupin and Tonks died but there is not much detail about it, so I was able to stay true to her story by stating that everyone believed them to be dead, but I was able to use my own story's inventions (the Abracadabra spell) and bring them back! I am very excited to bring back those two, now if only they can figure out how to wake them up...

To reply to a review: As stated above, I stay true to what Rowling wrote. I made Neville's life (in the flashback) be in danger during Voldemort's reign, but I never said why or how he was in danger. It is true in my story as well as Rowling's that the Longbottom's and the Death Eaters did not know about the prophecy, but that doesn't mean that Neville couldn't be in _other_ danger... And yes, you will find out what that is eventually! Thanks for the feedback!

Also, I just wanted to add if there is anything that was not answered in Rowling's story that you would like an answer to (such as how the Triwizard portkey worked at anytime as opposed to being on a timer like most), feel free to ask and I will definitely incorporate the answer in my story for you!

The next chapter is pretty straight forward. It does open up a new plot hole, so enjoy, and as always, thanks!


	24. Exposed

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-Four: Exposed**

 **Harry Potter – Present Day**

 **January 3, 2000**

It was two days after Ginny had returned from meeting with Grindelwald, and Harry found himself standing off to the side of a raised platform in the Ministry of Magic's atrium, in his best dress robes. After careful consideration, Harry, along with the Minister of Magic, and the Order, decided that they needed to release the information about Grindelwald to the wizarding world _before_ Grindelwald decided to act. It was the day before Grindelwald expected Ginny's return, and so, despite Harry feeling that not enough time was allotted, Kingsley was releasing a statement in just a few short minutes in front of the very crowded atrium. Reporters from newspapers all over Britain were present, along with radio hosts, and other sources of media from both the magical and muggle world, all awaiting the mysterious announcement that Kingsley was scheduled to present in a few minutes. The night before, Harry and Kingsley had informed the aurors of the situation and, along with the Order members, were in position for an attack.

"Mr. Potter," came Kingsley's voice from behind him. Harry turned around and saw the Minister of Magic approaching him with his arm stretched.

"Minister," said Harry, shaking his hand. "Are you ready?"

"As ready as I can be, I suppose. It is never easy to inform the world of a threat, particularly one as big as this."

"Well, at least you are informing them before hand, unlike Fudge back when Voldemort returned."

"Very true," Kingsley chuckled.

"Any luck with Thicknesse?" Harry asked.

"I am afraid not; Aurors are out looking of course, but he fled. Probably in that house Ms. Weasley told us about."

"Well, keep the aurors on guard. As soon as the speech is delivered, have them move in. We may not be able to get through the fidelius charm, but it also forces Grindelwald to stay in there, and at least like that he can't be out terrorizing anybody."

"There is always the floo, however."

"It will be monitored, right?"

"Helen is at the floo office as we speak. Once my speech is delivered, she will brief them on what to do."

Harry nodded. "And the muggle Prime Minister?"

"Already aware. He has his police officials on the lookout for both Thicknesse and Grindelwald, but they know not to approach them. They are instructed to inform our office and we are to take it from there."

"Well, I guess that's everything, then," Harry sighed.

"There is no other option, Mr. Potter. He has forced our hand. Now, if you'll excuse me, it is time." Kingsley walked up to the podium and the awaiting crowd quieted immediately. He pointed his wand to his neck and muttered " _Sonorus_." Instantly, his voice became loud and projected across the loud room. "Good morning, wizards, witches, and muggles alike. First, I would like to wish you all a happy new year! May your year be prosperous and successful. As your Minister of Magic, it is my duty to inform you of anything of importance, and it is my responsibility to protect each and every one of you. With that said, it saddens me and angers me to declare that Gellert Grindelwald is no longer confined at Nurmengard prison." Kingsley did not allow the instant murmurs to take over the room, and instead continued to speak to the crowd. "For those unfamiliar with the man I speak of, Gellert Grindelwald had come to power in the early nineteen hundreds…" As Kingsley gave the brief history of Grindelwald's time in power, Harry turned his attention to Hermione and gave her a little nod. She in turn nodded back and headed towards the office of the Dobwig Association. It was her job now to send an owl to everyone ever tried by the Dobwig Association who had not been placed in Azkaban; they were to all come in and meet with them to ensure that they had no contact with Grindelwald or Thicknesse. Harry was not happy about this; he felt that if they had been let off in the past, they should not be bothered now. Bringing them in only shows that they were never cleared in the first place. Sighing, he turned his attention back to Kingsley; he put the thought of the upcoming meetings in the back of his mind and would deal with the matter later. "…Finally, in 1945 he was captured and placed in Nurmengard prison – until now."

"How did he escape?"

"Where is he now?"

"Who is in most danger?"

Questions were being thrown at Kingsley from several different people, but he merely continued on with his rehearsed speech. "The muggle authorities have been informed and breached on how to proceed. Our auror office as well as the well known Order of the Phoenix organisation are also in place and are prepared to handle the situation. We cannot provide many details as it will give our position to Grindelwald; however, we can assure you that we are prepared. Much more prepared than when the one who called himself Lord Voldemort came to power. In the meantime, we ask that you all stay alert and only travel to places that you need to. Use apparition and floo, and try to avoid being outdoors at night. Should you see anything suspicious, report it immediately but do not engage yourselves. We thank you very much for your time and your help, and will provide you with more information as soon as possible. Until then, stay vigiliant. Thank you. _Quietus._ " Kingsley removed the amplifying charm and walked towards Harry.

"I guess that's that," Harry sighed.

"I don't like it either, but it had to be done."

Harry nodded. "Helen just sent me a message on my galleon; Grindelwald's hideout is now visibly enforced, and the floo is officially being watched."

"Perfect. Let us move this conversation to my office; I do not wish to answer any questions at the moment."

"I can't right now, Minister, I have a few things to do."

Kingsley nodded his understanding. "See you at tonight's Order meeting, then."

"See you." Harry took a lift up to the Harry Potter Association, where he found Hermione sitting at her desk.

"All done," she said, looking up at him. "Harry, you know this is going to cause an uproar."

"It wasn't my idea and I don't like it either. I plan on letting everyone go, however. Unless of course they present something that I should worry about. But I want to keep this as peaceful as possible."

"Draco is going to receive his owl any minute now, I should probably go and talk to him."

"Hermione, about Draco…"

Hermione sighed. "I know, Harry, the countercurse."

"He's the only one that can help us."

"Well, no, he's not; Crabbe is. But I need to get through Draco to get through Crabbe. I have a plan, but Harry, it's going to take a week or so."

"Well, we have waited this long, haven't we? Just do what you have to do, Hermione. I could really use Remus' advice right now."

 **Jessica Ferguson – Present Day**

 **January 3, 2000**

"Healer Martus, we weren't expecting you," said Jessica, from her daughter's bedside.

"Amelia's treatment is not completed, but she no longer needs to stay here. We can have her attend appointments here, but I must insist that the two of you find another place to go. As Amelia is now awake and stable, I need the room for other patients."

"No problem, just let me put our things together. When will her next appointment be?" Jessica asked, pleased that she would finally be able to go home.

"The appointments will be owled to you. I recommend you stay with a witch or wizard; it is the only way we can make contact."

"Well, can't you just contact Ron? I know he will inform me…"

"Ah, hello, Healer Martus!" An older lady walked into the room, greeted the Healer, then turned to Jessica. "And you must be Jessica. My name is Andromeda Tonks, I was sent here by the Weasleys to collect you."

"Collect me?"

"Yes Dear, you and your precious daughter. You will be staying with the Weasleys while she recovers."

Jessica's blood was boiling. "What is with people making decisions for me? My daughter and I are going home, to _our_ house."

"Ms. Ferguson, I must insist that you stay with a wizarding family. Should anything happen to Amelia, they would know how to treat her properly, as well as apparate her back here. You have my word that Andromeda here is trustworthy, and she will take you both safely to the Weasley household."

Jessica frowned. "Fine, but _only_ because it's for Amelia's safety. Once she is cleared, we are going home."

"I shall see you two at the next appointment," Healer Martus smiled, walking out of the room.

"Why isn't Ron picking us up?" Jessica asked Andromeda.

"He will explain once we get there," she told her.

"What is with the Wizarding world and secrets?" Jessica mumbled, angrily.

"I will apparate with Amelia first, then," said Andromeda, ignoring Jessica's question. "Then I shall come back, and you and I will travel the muggle way."

"What? No! Amelia stays with me!"

"Jessica, I am so sorry, but Amelia is not strong enough to make that trip and as I cannot apparate with you, this is our only option."

Jessica took a deep breath. "How long will you be?"

"About fifteen minutes at the most," she promised.

"Amelia, sweetheart, go with this nice lady," Jessica said, turning to her daughter. "She will take you to Ron, remember him? Mommy will be there soon." Doubtful that Amelia understood what Jessica was saying, seeing as though she was so young, Jessica handed her to Andromeda. She watched the pair of them leave and then she packed up their belongings from the room. She hesitated in the hallway as she walked out of the room. She had seen Nigel, _here,_ in a magical hospital. Surely there was no way that he had been a wizard, so what was he doing here? He had run away when he saw her. Coward, she thought to herself. He ran away once, why was she surprised that he would do it again? But _why_ was he here? Did he know a sick wizard or witch? Curiosity got the best of her, and she headed towards the staircase where she had encountered him. Before she could open the door, however, Andromeda appeared at her side.

"Ready to go?"

Jessica nodded. "Amelia is safe?"

It was Andromeda's turn to nod. "With Ron and Molly at the Burrow."

"The Burrow?"

"That's what they call their dwelling. Come along, now."

"Wait, can I ask you something first?"

"Of course you may!"

Jessica hesitated before speaking. "Is there like a guest book or something here that people use to sign in when visiting someone? I ask because…" She took a deep breath. "I ran into someone I know here, and I wanted to know how he was connected to the wizarding world. It's quite important, actually."

"I'm sorry, Dear, but there is no way of finding that out. What is his name though? I may know his family."

"Nigel."

"His family name, love."

"I don't know," she answered sadly.

"Well, then I am afraid I cannot help you. Come along now, Jessica, we have a long way to go before we get to the Burrow."

 **Hermione Granger – Present Day**

 **January 3, 2000**

"Draco, stop being like that and come out here!" She had been standing at the entrance to the Slytherin common room for what felt like hours, yet Draco refused to come out, nor would he send her a reply on her galleon. "It is not my fault, okay?" Finally, the entrance to the Slytherin common room slid open, and out walked Draco Malfoy.

"So who is responsible for trying to send my mother to Azkaban, then?" he asked, angrily.

"Nobody is trying to send your mother to Azkaban!" she said, for probably the sixth time. At least this time she was saying it to his face and not to a solid wall. "Grindelwald has escaped Nurmengard and the Ministry needs to investigate all angles, that's all!"

"But my mother has nothing to do with Grindelwald."

"I _know_ that! Which is why when the hearing is conducted it will solely be to prove to the Wizengamot that those associated to Voldemort in the past are not associated to Grindelwald, past _or_ present!"

"The Wizengamot is going to be present? Not even my father's hearing had the Wizengamot present."

"They are the ones calling for the re-trial." Draco looked panicked, but Hermione spoke before he could say anything. "This is better for your mother, Draco. Once they see that she is innocent, and they _will_ see that, she will have their support and she won't have to worry about anything anymore. No more association to anything negative, not even Voldemort."

Draco was silent for awhile, obviously considering what she said. "Why didn't I get a letter?" he finally asked.

"Because I told them you're under my watchful eye at all times and cannot possibly be in contact with Grindelwald. I also reminded them that you have a review hearing coming up in a few months, anyway."

"That I guess will now be held by the Wizengamot?"

"Probably," Hermione answered honestly.

"Well, can you take me to the Manor, please? I would at least like to explain to my mother in person."

Hermione hesitated. "I don't know, I have an Order meeting soon, and with Grindelwald out there…" Draco did not say anything, but the look in his eyes was devastating to her. For the first time, she saw real pain and sadness there, and she suddenly started to appreciate just how horrible his situation truly was. "Okay, but it can only be a few minutes, okay? I have to get to an Order meeting."

Draco's face lit up. "Thank you, Hermione, truly!" The pair apparated outside of Malfoy Manor within a few minutes, and started heading to the front gate when Draco pulled Hermione back.

"Draco, what-"

"Shh! Look, towards the side of the manor. Someone is there," he whispered, shrinking lower into the bushes and motioning for her to do the same.

"Isn't it just your mother?"

Draco shook his head. "She's in her room, look," he said, pointing towards a window at the top of the manor. "We have to warn her, Hermione!"

"You need to leave. Draco, if you are caught near any trouble at all, you're going to Azkaban."

"I can't leave my mother in danger!" he said hurriedly.

"You _need_ to leave! I'll protect her, you have my word!" Draco looked at her but did not speak. "Trust me, Draco! It's the only way I can save _both_ of you!"

"I need to protect you, too. I can't leave you both alone!"

Hermione pulled out her galleon and sent a quick message to Harry. "Apparate to Harry's house, I just sent him a message to meet you there. Tell him what's going on and he will send help. Draco, look at me." Draco turned to her, with a terrified expression. "I am trusting you to go _alone_ to Harry's house; if anyone sees you, we both go to Azkaban. In turn, trust _me_ to save your mother."

Slowly, Draco finally nodded in agreement. "Okay," he said, barely audible. "But wait for the back up I am sending with Potter. As long as he is in your eye sight, you'll know that my mother is safe and you'll be safe too, in the shadows."

Hermione nodded. "We will be fine, just hurry and get to Harry's." She quickly hugged Draco goodbye, and turned to watch the intruder. Draco had not been gone for more than five minutes before the intruder disappeared to the back of the manor and out of Hermione's view. She quickly pulled out her galleon again and messaged Harry:

 _Draco will explain, but tell him to send his mum an owl telling her to stay in her room and that I am coming in through the front._

Knowing that Harry nor Draco would like what she just sent, she put the galleon away anyway, pulled out her wand, and as silently as possible, pushed the gate open to Malfoy Manor and slipped inside the property.

 **Neville Longbottom – The Past**

 **July 2, 1997**

Neville rolled over and admired the beautiful sleeping Jessica. He could not believe his luck! He, the clumsy, less than average, horrible at school, shy, awkward guy, was having _sex_ with the most magnificent woman on the planet! Having never done it before, he had expected to have been nervous of course, but with Jessica, everything had been so easy. He wasn't sure what love felt like, but he was certain that it must feel like this. He laid his head back down beside her and sighed. He never wanted to leave this tent; he had never felt this happy about anything in his entire life. But that nagging feeling in his gut kept visiting, and it was getting stronger and stronger. He needed to get back to his grandmother. He needed to get back and help Harry. He _needed_ to do whatever it was possible to help end Voldemort and his Death Eaters. _But you're useless, you can't do anything,_ said another annoying voice in his head. As much truth as there was to that statement, Neville knew it did not matter. His parents did not hide in a tent when the war approached; no, they went and they fought. He was proud to be their son, and there was no way he would dishonor them by hiding out in a tent when the wizarding world needed him, regardless of what help, or lack of, that he could provide. Fighting back the tears, he dressed quietly and prepared to leave. When he was ready to go, he turned to the sleeping Jessica one last time, and very gently, laid a small kiss upon her forehead. The kiss had awoken her.

"Hey," she said smiling, as she stirred awake. "Where are you going?"

"Going to get us something to eat," he lied, trying not to look at her in fear that he would give in to the need of staying. "Go back to sleep."

"Okay," she said, rolling over. "But you know, when you come back, you're taking those clothes off again." She closed her eyes, but had a huge grin on her face, clearly thinking about her intimate moments with Neville. _She doesn't know your name, she thinks you're Nigel, you need to leave!_ Neville exited the tent and took some food out of his bag that he had been saving and laid it by the entrance of the tent. She had expected him to get food, and there was no way she was going to leave and not at least give her that. Finally, after much deliberation, Neville did the hardest thing he ever had to do – walked away from the woman that he was pretty certain he was in love with.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Not much to say about this chapter except that now the wizarding world knows that Grindelwald is back and with that, you can expect a war!

The next chapter focuses on the intruder at Malfoy Manor, followed by a flashback of Lily Potter!

Thanks for reading!


	25. The Intruder

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-Five: The Intruder**

 **Harry Potter – Present Day**

 **January 3, 2000**

Harry arrived at his house after receiving Hermione's message, to see Draco Malfoy sitting there. "Quick, get inside," he told him, "before someone sees you." The pair entered the house, and Draco went into panic mode.

"You need to send people to the manor, quickly! There's an intruder outside of it and my mother is there alone and unaware, and now Hermione is there by herself too!"

Before Harry could reply, he felt his galleon grow hot again. He took it out and read a new message from Hermione. "Send an owl to your mum and tell her not to leave her room and that Hermione will be coming in shortly to protect her." He handed Draco parchment and a quill and watched Draco scribble away.

"Where's your owl?" Draco asked him. Harry froze; ever since he lost Hedwig, he didn't have the heart to get another one.

"Kreacher!" Harry yelled, thinking quickly. A small 'pop' was heard, followed by the sudden appearance of an old elf-like creature with grey hair protruding out of his large ears.

"Master called?" said the house elf, Kreacher.

"Kreacher, take this letter," he said, grabbing the finished letter from Malfoy, "and take it to the Burrow. Tell Ron to send this with Pig right away, it's urgent!"

"Of course, Master."

"Then come back." Kreacher bowed and apparated once again, heading towards the Burrow.

"Pig?" Draco asked Harry, once the elf had left.

"It's the name of Ron's owl," Harry answered. He began pacing back and forth.

"We need to send help to the manor, now!" Draco said, in a panicked voice.

"I know, but everyone is out doing Order stuff."

"But my mother and Hermione!"

"I'm thinking, Draco!" Harry continued his pace. The only few people who were not doing Order stuff were the Weasleys, who were in hiding as Grindelwald had already declared that he would kill them. But how could Harry ask them to come out of hiding and risk their lives? Yet how could Harry leave Hermione alone and risk _her_ life? "The fidelius charm," Harry whispered to himself.

"What about it?" asked Draco.

Harry frowned. He needed to cast the charm on his house to bring the Weasley's there, but still have them protected as he couldn't bring Malfoy to the Burrow since he was not the secret-keeper. Harry, however, was already secret-keeper for the Order, and the spell only allowed someone to be the secret-keeper for one place at a time. That only left Malfoy… "Malfoy, I need you to cast the fidelius charm on my house and be the secret-keeper."

"No problem," said Draco, clearly willing to do whatever it took to save his mother.

"Malfoy, listen. I am trusting you with the lives of many people. If you tell anyone, if you are the reason _any_ of them get hurt…" Harry was already having doubts.

"Potter, the two people I love most are in danger and I am trusting you to save them. Let me repay the favor." Harry thought long and hard. How could he trust the one person he hated most at Hogwarts? Lost in thought, Harry didn't realize that Kreacher had reappeared until the little elf spoke.

"Weezly has sent the letter that Master gave to Kreacher," said Kreacher. Harry looked to Draco and studied him. In return, Draco stared back. After a moment, Draco extended his hand. Nodding, Harry shook it, then grabbed his wand.

"Okay, let's do the charm." It didn't take long for the fidelius charm to be put into place, and soon only Harry and Draco had access to _The Potter Flat_. Once completed, Draco took a piece of parchment and wrote out Harry's address, then folded it up and handed it to Kreacher. "Take that to the Burrow." Harry told Kreacher. "Make sure Ron, Arthur, Charlie, and Ginny read it, then make sure they destroy it." Kreacher disapparated at once, and then, after a few minutes (which would allow Ron to have read the parchment), Harry sent him a message on his galleon:

 _The four of you take the floo to my house._

Before long, four red-headed Weasleys were making their way into Harry's living room through his fireplace.

"You've put a fidelius charm on your house?" Ginny asked.

"I needed to keep you all safe. Draco has agreed to be secret-keeper and I trust him." Harry chose to add the last part as a way of silently stating that it was not up for discussion. "There's an intruder at Malfoy Manor and Hermione is there alone. Draco attempted to help, but if he were caught by the wrong person, him and Hermione would go to Azkaban and we can't have that. Everyone else is out taking care of Order business, so it is up to us. I know you are all in hiding, and need to be," Harry added, as the looks he was receiving showed that none of them wanted to be in hiding anyway. "But I don't think Grindelwald would think to look for you at a place like Malfoy Manor and we need to go help Hermione and Draco's mum, who is trapped inside."

"No problem," said Charlie. "What's the plan?"

"Well, that's what we need to figure out," answered Harry. "And quickly."

 **Hermione Granger – Present Day**

 **January 3, 2000**

Hermione hid herself in the shadows near the front door. She did not bother trying the Alohomora spell on the front door as she knew it would not work. Her only way in to help Narcissa Malfoy was with a key. It wasn't long before she saw a familiar small and over-excited owl approach Narcissa's window. _Pig!_ she thought to herself, recognizing Ron's miniature owl. So Draco had been successful in contacting his mother. Not long after Pig had flown away, Hermione saw something levitating out of Narcissa's window and making its way towards her. When it was just above her head, she reached up and grabbed it, realizing at once that it must be the key to the front door. Hermione quickly let herself in through the front door, locked it once again, and made her way up to Narcissa's bedroom. Having received a tour in the past by Draco, this was a very simple task for her. "Narcissa?" she whispered, slowly opening the master bedroom's door.

"I am here," replied Narcissa, just as quietly. She was standing in her dressing gown with a robe overtop. Based on the hour, Hermione assumed that she must have been getting ready to sleep when she received the owl. "What is going on? Who is here?"

"I don't know," Hermione answered truthfully. "The intruder went to the back, though. Are all entrances to the house are sealed?"

Narcissa nodded. "If a seal is broken, I would be notified."

"Good. Is there a window that we can see the backyard clearly?"

"The guest room. Come this way." Narcissa led Hermione to the end of the hall into a large empty bedroom. The pair slowly peered through the curtains to try and get a look at the intruder.

"Can you see him?" Hermione asked.

"There, there is a shadow by that bush, look!" Narcissa said, pointing towards the right side of the enclosure.

"Do you recognize who it is?"

Narcissa shook her head. "I can barely make out the shadow." The pair stood silently as they watched the intruder.

"What could he be looking for?"

"I am not sure; we do not keep anything of value outdoors."

"We need to get closer." Before Hermione could come up with a plan, she felt her galleon grow hot. "Stay here," she said to Narcissa, after reading the message. "Back up is here, I am going to let them in. If you see that intruder head towards the front of the house, scream!" Hermione made her way to the front door and let Harry and a bunch of Weasleys inside.

"Where is the intruder?" Harry asked as soon as they were safely inside.

"In the back, but we can't make out who it is."

"You can see them, though?" asked Arthur.

Hermione nodded. "There's a window upstairs."

"Okay," Harry said, going into leader mode. "Hermione, you and Malfoy's mum stay up there and keep watch. If he leaves, galleon whoever is closest to him. Ginny, you stay in here and guard the front door. Charlie, you take the left side, Mr. Weasley, you take the right. Ron, you guard the front but on the outside and I'll go through the house to the back door."

"What's our plan once we have him?" asked Ron.

"Stun him; we will figure out what to do from there." Harry answered. Everyone moved to their assigned positions, and Hermione went to join Narcissa once again, after showing Harry where the back door was.

"What is happening?" Narcissa asked her, once Hermione was at the window again.

"They are going to make a move on him. Look, I can see Charlie there now." Hermione pointed to a shadow that was slowly approaching the intruder from the left of the manor. It wasn't long before Charlie, Arthur, and Harry were all within a clear shot of the intruder.

"He does not realize," Narcissa said, noticing that the intruder still had his back to them.

"He's looking for something," Hermione said, watching him scramble through a bush. "Wait, is he digging?"

"Digging? What could he possibly be digging for?"

"Narcissa, there's nothing out there that can hurt Harry and the Weasleys, is there?"

Narcissa turned her nose up. "I do not have anything _buried_ in my yard, Ms. Granger. The Malfoy's are not dogs; we do not bury our possessions."

"No, you lock them in a room and refuse to allow anyone in." Hermione was pushing her limit, and she knew it, but she needed to determine what this intruder could possibly be after.

"What is in my husband's study is none of your concern. Kindly deal with the intruder and then leave my home."

Hermione snapped. "I am here _protecting_ you! I think you should show some respect!"

Narcissa looked as if she were going to retaliate, but then stopped. "Let us focus on this intruder. It seems as though your friends have him cornered." Hermione looked outside and sure enough, Harry, Charlie, and Mr. Weasley were all within a proper distance to cast a stunning spell. Harry, however, was the first to act. The intruder had turned around seconds before Harry casted his stunning spell, and he was able to jump out of the way, just missing being hit by the spell. Hermione and Narcissa watched as the intruder ran through bushes and trees, ducking and dodging the spells being thrown at him, until finally leaping into the air and landing on what looked like a large twig. The instant his body had touched the twig, he vanished into thin air. "What, where did he go?" Narcissa asked. "Nobody can disapparate inside the gate!"

"He didn't disapparate, Mrs. Malfoy," Hermione said, realizing what had happened. "He used a portkey."

 **Jessica Ferguson – Present Day**

 **January 3, 2000**

After almost a full day of travelling, Jessica and Andromeda finally arrived at their destination in the middle of the night. "Here we are, love," said Andromeda, smiling.

Jessica looked around and saw nothing but an empty field. "Uh, Andromeda, I don't see anything."

"You will soon, love." She fumbled with a piece of paper that was in her pocket. "Now read this in your mind, then return it to me, please." Jessica took the piece of paper and read something about a burrow.

"What's the Bur-"

"Shh! Not here! Hand me that!" Andromeda took the paper from here and magically set it on fire. "Now look ahead, love!"

"Wow!" Out of nowhere, a house had appeared. It wasn't a normal house however; this one was lopsided and uneven, with several rooms hanging out at different angles. Jessica wondered how the house was even standing. _Magic._ She needed to start accepting that she was going to come across a lot of it. As Jessica crossed what must have been an invisible threshold, a familiar voice called to her.

"Jessica! I'm so glad you've arrived safely! Come on in, Dear! Oh, Andromeda, thank you ever so much!"

"Of course, Molly! I am off to Shell Cottage now, I need to pick up Teddy."

"Kisses to them all! Please come by for tea soon, I think Amelia and Teddy would get along wonderfully!" Jessica listened to the conversation happening in front of her. There was absolutely too much to take in at one time.

"Molly? Where's Amelia?" Jessica finally asked.

"She's asleep, Dear, in the room we have put together for you. Come on inside, I am sure you have plenty of questions." Molly lead Jessica inside the odd house, and sat her down at the table with a cup of tea. "Now, I am sure you have a lot running through your mind. Go on, Dear, ask away!"

Jessica thought it best to start with where she was. "Where am I?"

"This is where I live with my family. We call it _The Burrow._ "

"And why was it invisible when I first got here?"

Molly hesitated before responding. "It's under a spell," she stated. "Many families put their houses under what's known as a Fidelius Charm when there's danger around. One person, known as the secret-keeper, casts the charm that makes the house invisible to anyone, unless the secret-keeper allows them to enter."

"So that paper I read…"

"Paper?" Molly questioned.

"Yeah, it said "The Burrow" on it."

"Oh, you mean _parchment_ , Dear. It was from Arthur," Molly said smiling, happy that Jessica was catching on. "He is secret-keeper, so by giving you that note, he has allowed you to enter. The beauty of the magic is that you can go and tell anyone you'd like that this house is here, but unless it comes from Arthur himself, nobody can enter, even if they stood directly outside."

"And why do you think you're in danger? Is Amelia in danger? Am I?"

Molly smiled sadly. "As long as you are here, you are both safe."

"So, outside of here, we _are_ in danger?"

"You and Amelia are not directly in danger, but the world as a whole is." Jessica looked at Molly confused, and so Molly tried again. "There is only so much that I am permitted to say. There is a bad wizard currently out there, and so, just like any criminal, he is a danger to anyone."

"So, you're basically protecting us from a general threat," Jessica said, trying to understand.

"Exactly, Dear."

"Where's Ron?"

"I do not know, to be honest." Molly chuckled. "He comes and goes as he pleases, a mother can only control their children for so long!"

"But isn't it dangerous for him too?"

"Ron can travel between houses that have the Fidelius Charm, so he is safe wherever he goes."

"I guess being a wizard has some perks," Jessica admitted, more so to herself.

"There are many wonderful things about being a witch or wizard, Dear, you'll soon learn. Once Amelia starts at Hogwarts-"

But Jessica cut her off. "Molly, I really appreciate everything you're doing for us, but I don't want to discuss Amelia and magic."

"I understand, Dear. Shall we call it a night, then?" Jessica followed Molly up a few flights of stairs, and stopped outside of a door on one of the lower landings. "This is Ginny's room, but she has been staying elsewhere lately, so we've turned it into a room for you and Amelia. I know it is small, but it's the best that we've got."

Jessica looked around and saw a sleeping Amelia on a small toddler bed in the corner. There was a bed for Jessica as well, two dressers that Jessica was sure was full of clothes for both her and Amelia, and a book shelf full of what she could only assume was books about magic. "It's great," Jessica said, politely. "Really. Thank you, Molly."

Molly beamed. "Please help yourself to whatever you'd like. This is your home while you are both here. If there is anything else you would need, you just simply need to ask. All I will say, however, is not to leave the grounds, okay?"

Jessica nodded. "Goodnight, Molly."

"Goodnight, darling."

 **Lily Potter – The Past**

 **August 16, 1980**

"Lily, what's the matter?" James walked into the room, with a look of concern on his face.

"Oh, James, I didn't want you to see me like this," Lily responded, wiping away the fresh tears that were falling down her face.

"Lily, you can tell me, what is bothering you?"

Lily looked down at the little bundle that she was holding in her arms. "Harry isn't even a month old yet, and already he is in so much danger."

James put his arm around his wife. "We will keep him safe, Lily. As long as we stay inside the house, the Fidelius Charm will protect all of us. This won't be forever, Lily, they are going to find him."

"And what about Sirius? We are safe here, but he isn't safe. Voldemort will make his Death Eaters torture him for our whereabouts. Severus knows that you are best friends, he will probably tell them," Lily admitted sadly.

"Sirius can take care of himself, Lils, and he would _love_ to run into Snivellus, the things he would do…" James stopped however, when he saw the look on his wife's face.

"And what about Remus?" Lily continued. "They will torture him, too."

"Remus is in hiding with the Werewolves, undercover work for The Order, they can't get to him."

"And Peter?"

James chuckled. "Peter is one of my best mates, but he is also one of the biggest cowards I know. Even the Death Eaters would know that we would never make him secret-keeper. In fact, that's probably a good reason why we should!"

This time, Lily laughed. "With all jokes aside however, why couldn't you just be secret-keeper, James?"

"We've been over this already, Lily. I am secret-keeper for The Order and a person can only be secret-keeper for one place at a time. In the few seconds it would take for me to drop the Fidelius Charm on headquarters and let someone else do it, the Death Eaters will move in. They know where Headquarters are, they guard it everyday just waiting for it to fall!"

"So, let's move Headquarters, then!"

"To where? Lils, you know this is the best option. We can't risk every Order member by moving everything just for us. We are safe, Sirius will never betray us."

"Okay," Lily said sadly. She looked down at the sleeping baby in her arms. "He's perfect, isn't he?"

"Just like his mother," James said, smiling.

"Once this world is safe, Harry," she said to her sweet son, "mummy and daddy will take you out to see it. Sweet dreams my love," she said, and she rocked her son to sleep.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** I chose to add that Lily and James scene because it always bugged me why James wasn't in fact secret-keeper for his own house, so I answered my own question!

This chapter has a lot of meaning, but you may not pick up on it right away.. That's all I will say here for now, so that your minds can try and figure out who the intruder was and what they wanted!

The next chapter opens up something very large and I was excited (yet sad) to write it.. Hope you enjoy!

Thanks as always =)


	26. The Portkey

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-Six: The Portkey**

 **Hermione Granger – Present Day**

 **January 4, 2000**

After searching the grounds well into the early morning, the group finally called it quits and gathered just inside the front door of Malfoy Manor. "The intruder is definitely gone, Mrs. Malfoy," Harry told Narcissa.

"But how did he escape?" she asked him.

"It looked like a portkey," Harry answered her.

"But how?" Hermione asked him. "Portkey rules are very clear; they are to be registered with the Ministry," she said, matter-of-factly.

"Hermione, this is war," Ron reminded her. "People aren't going to follow the rules."

"But regardless if they did it illegally, portkeys still only work at a scheduled time. Don't you remember the Quidditch World Cup? Portkeys leave at a specific time, there is no way that the intruder's portkey was scheduled to leave at the exact time that you all tried to stun him."

"That's not exactly how they work, Hermione," said Arthur.

She looked at him, bewildered. "What do you mean?"

"Portkeys are supposed to be registered with the Ministry so that they can control it. They work at a scheduled time so that the Ministry can track who is going and when. At the World Cup, for instance, imagine the chaos if everyone was coming in at whatever time they would like. A schedule helps to keep everything organized." He paused for a moment to clean his glasses on his robes, before continuing again. "It is illegal to create a portkey that is not tracked by the Ministry, but it is not impossible to do so."

"Just like the Triwizard Cup during the tournament," Harry said, catching on. "It transported Cedric and I the moment we touched it; it wasn't on a timer."

"Exactly," said Arthur.

"But the Ministry-" Hermione started, but Arthur cut her off.

"We should continue this conversation at Headquarters; The next meeting is about to begin. Narcissa," he said, turning to her. "Your property is safe. I would, however, recommend casting a Fidelius Charm on your house for your protection."

"Where is Draco?" she asked, turning to Hermione. "He is supposed to always be with you."

"He's safe," Hermione answered. "I couldn't bring him near trouble as it could implicate him. I'll go and see him now, though, tell him you're safe, and take him directly to his Slytherin common room. You should be able to owl him shortly." Narcissa nodded her thanks.

"Alright everyone," said Harry. "Back to my place." Hermione arrived first and walked through the door, almost colliding with an anxious Draco.

"Where is my mum? Is she okay?" he asked nervously.

"She's fine, the intruder is gone." Hermione explained what had happened at the manor, as well as what she had just learned about portkeys.

"What if he comes back?"

"I've advised her to cast the Fidelius Charm on her property," said Arthur, informing Draco as he entered the house. "We need to go, the meeting has probably already begun," Arthur said to the group.

"I have to take Draco to Hogwarts," Hermione said.

"He's safe here, Hermione," Harry told her. "I'll put some protective charms up, just in case," he added in an undertone.

"Okay," said Hermione, slightly uneasy. "But after the meeting, we are going back to Hogwarts. Draco, while I'm gone…"

"Don't worry, Hermione, my neck is on the line too, remember?" Hermione nodded and followed Arthur through the floo, and off to Grimmauld Place for the Order of the Phoenix meeting.

 **Harry Potter – Present Day**

 **January 4, 2000**

Harry watched everyone leave through the fireplace in his living room, until it was just him and Malfoy left. "I, uh, told Hermione I would put some charms up."

Malfoy nodded. "Go ahead." Harry waived his wand around a few times and charmed the place that Draco would be staying alone in for awhile.

"There," he said, once he finished. He also added a spell on his bedroom door as well for good measure; he would prefer Draco did not go in there. "Help yourself to anything in the fridge and there's the spare room upstairs if you're tired."

"Thanks, Potter. Can I borrow your owl? I would like to send mother a letter."

"Er, I don't have an owl."

"What?" asked Draco, confused. "I've always seen you with that snowy owl."

"Hedwig died," Harry said sadly. "I never had the heart to get another."

"Oh, sorry."

"Nobody knows where my house is now, since you casted the fidelius charm, so nobody will bother you here," Harry said, changing the subject.

"Okay."

Harry hesitated before speaking again. "Malfoy, we never liked each other in school…" he started.

"And you're worried that I might do something since I'm the secret-keeper?" Malfoy offered. Harry nodded. "I'm on the same side as you, Potter. Hermione trusts me, so should you."

"Your word isn't enough."

"You saved my mum, I owe you a debt now and I can assure you that I"ll repay that debt with my allegiance. I've told you before, I love Hermione. I'm not about to sell her best friend out and lose any chance that I have with her."

"You say you're on our side, then?"

"Yes, I am."

"Then why won't you tell us about the Abracadabra spell?" Harry watched Malfoy freeze; he had not anticipated that at all.

"It's not that simple," Malfoy said quietly.

"Why isn't it?"

"I'm a man of my word, Potter. I gave my father my word that I would not tell a soul."

"Malfoy, your father is in Azkaban and he's not coming back. You can help people with this information! You can help your case! Think about it, they are bound to let you off if they know that you provided crucial information that saved lives!"

"So that's the only way I'll get off, then? Provide information in exchange for my freedom, even though I haven't done a thing wrong?" Malfoy said, his voice rising in anger.

"I don't agree with you being watched either, but it's out of my hands! This can really help you though!"

Malfoy looked away. "My word is all I have, I cannot break it."

Harry walked towards the fireplace, accepting that he was defeated. Just as he was about to leave, he turned to Malfoy. "Hermione trusts you, and she's literally put her life on the line for you. The least you can do is save her friends." Harry dropped some floo powder into the flames, yelled "Number 12, Grimmauld Place," and found himself facing the empty kitchen at Headquarters. He made his way to the far room where everyone was gathered, already mid-meeting.

"We should keep an eye on Malfoy Manor; this intruder may return and may be of importance to us," Kingsley said, clearly having just heard what had happened at Malfoy Manor.

"Narcissa Malfoy is putting up the fidelius charm," Harry said, taking his seat at the front of the group.

"I can keep an eye on it," said Hermione. "I'll be visiting there every so often with Draco so that he can see his mother."

Kingsley nodded towards Hermione. "Alright then, I think that concludes today's meeting. Patrol groups, send word if you see anything suspicious at your location. We should meet again in about a week-"

"Excuse me, Minister, I do not mean to interrupt, but I do have a question," chimed in Andromeda quietly.

"Of course, Andromeda."

"Where are we with the answer for those asleep upstairs?"

Kingsley frowned. "I am sorry to say that we are not very far at all. We have yet to find out where their souls are hiding, and therefore cannot restore them as of yet."

"Grindelwald knows," Harry interjected. "We find him, we get our answer." He saw Hermione looking at him out of the corner of his eye. She was frowning; they both knew the person they needed to ask, yet have failed to get an answer.

"The girl's parents need to know what is going on, they must be worried sick!" cried Molly.

"They are muggles, it won't be an easy thing to explain," said Aberforth.

"That doesn't mean they don't deserve to know!" argued Molly. "I can go and speak to them and try to explain."

"No Weasley is to leave the security of the fidelius charm," Harry said firmly.

"I can do it," offered Andromeda.

"I can help you," said Fleur.

"No, you're pregnant," Essa interrupted. "I'll go with her."

"It is settled then," said Kingsley. "Until next week everyone, and remember to stay sharp."

"Constant vigilance," Harry muttered under his breath, thinking of the late Alastor Moody.

 **Neville Longbottom – Present Day**

 **January 6, 2000**

Neville walked around the small shack on the other side of the big hill. It was his turn, along with Luna, to guard Grindelwald's hiding place. Even though they could not see the large mansion that Ginny told them about, they knew that location, and so Order members took turns watching it and forcing Grindelwald to stay in there, unless he wished to show himself and risk capture. Tired, hungry, and slightly agitated, Neville stopped pacing and sat down on the grass.

"Is everything okay?" Luna asked him, joining him on the grass. Neville shrugged. "Why won't you guard St. Mungo's?" she asked him, when he did not reply to her first question.

"What?"

"Anytime we are scheduled to guard there, you always switch with another pair."

"My parents are there," Neville lied. "It's hard to go there and not visit them."

"It's not nice to lie, Neville," said Luna. She had a skill in knowing when the truth was being told to her or not. Neville often wondered if she was part Seer. "We are friends," she said, when she realized that he was not going to respond. "You can trust me, I won't tell anyone."

Neville considered what she said. It was killing him to keep everything in, perhaps it would be good to finally talk to someone about it. "I met this muggle a few years back," he started, just letting the words spill out. "Luna, I fell in love with her."

"What did it feel like?"

"It was the most wonderful feeling, I can't even explain it. It was like nothing at all was wrong with the world. I didn't know pain when I was with her, just happiness. It was as if sadness didn't exist."

"That's a wonderful feeling," she said to him.

"Yeah, it really was. Only, there was something very wrong with the world. You-Know-Who was in power, my friends were in danger, and I was needed to help fight the war."

"What happened with the muggle?"

"Well, I couldn't tell her, could I? The Statute of Secrecy was still in effect, and I didn't want to bring her into all that danger, regardless. You-Know-Who was killing muggles, it was safer if she didn't know." Neville sighed, but continued his story. "So one day, I just left. I didn't even say goodbye," he said sadly.

"It's a different time, Neville," said Luna, smiling. "You should try and contact her."

"I could tell you everything about her, Luna. How she hums in her sleep, how she has one small little dimple on her left cheek when she smiles, how she throws her hair back when she laughs. I can describe every inch of her body," Neville said blushing. "But I don't know where she's from, I don't know where she would be now, I don't even know her last name!"

"Oh, I'm sorry Neville! I'm guessing this war has brought back thoughts of her?"

"I've never stopped thinking about her, Luna. But, the other day… Luna, I saw her!"

"How wonderful, Neville!"

"No, it wasn't. She saw me first and she called my name and when I looked at her… Luna, it wasn't happiness I saw. It was shock, but also anger. I didn't realize the pain I had caused her until I saw her face the other day."

Luna put her hand on his arm. "You should talk to her and explain, I'm sure she would understand."

"There's more," he told her. "Luna, I saw her at St. Mungo's."

"St. Mungo's? But I thought you said she was a muggle."

"She is," said Neville. "Which means she is now somehow connected to the wizarding world. Maybe she's dating a wizard or something. Either way, I can't face her."

"What a touching story," came a deep voice that Neville did not recognize. He and Luna immediately jumped up, but both their wands had been taken away from them with the _expelliarmus_ spell, before either of them could react. "Let's play nicely, shall we?" said the man, who Neville knew must have been Grindelwald.

"If you kill us, the Order will know that you escaped," Neville said.

"Escaped?" Grindelwald chuckled. "Neville, is it? I believe that's what she called you," he said, indicating towards Luna. "Neville, I did not _escape_ , as you say. I come and go as I please; did you honestly think a few wizards standing outside of my house would stop me from leaving?"

"If that's true, then why are you only showing your face now?" asked Luna bravely.

"Because I need something, and when I need something, I ask for it. Since Gloria has decided to stop paying me visits, I have resorted to this." When neither Neville or Luna said anything, Grindelwald continued. "I heard about the Minister's speech and I must say I am disappointed with Harry Potter. I offered him such a wonderful deal, yet he decided to do this instead. What a pity," he said, shaking his head. "I am, however, a man of chances and therefore am willing to give Potter one more chance. Just _one more_ , however. But, I am also a man of my word. I informed Harry that I would hurt his people if he did not listen, and how could anyone take me seriously if I don't keep my word? Oh, no, don't worry, I don't mean you two," he said, when he saw Neville and Luna tense up. "No, you two are my messengers. Please tell Harry Potter that he has one more chance to send Gloria here, tomorrow, with my requested items. If he does not, then more will die."

"More?" repeated Neville.

"Yes, Neville, more. Two of yours have fallen today at the hand of my men, as you will soon learn. Let that be a sign to Harry Potter that I mean what I say. You will find your wands-" he held up their wands and they instantly disappeared. "-in the little shack behind you. Now go and deliver my message and bury your dead. Oh, and Neville," he said, as he turned to enter the protection of the fidelius charm, "my men do not know how to use the Abracadabra curse, so yes, your friends really are dead." With that, Grindelwald walked through the invisible barrier and disappeared.

"Let's go." It was all Neville needed to say to Luna before they took off running to the shack. They immediately retrieved their wands, ran back over the big hill, and apparated back to Headquarters, sending galleon messages to every member in the Order.

 **Fred Weasley – The Past**

 **March 18, 1998**

Fred sat at the back of his and George's shop examining something in a small package. It was rather quiet in the shop, as it was most days. The war was taking a toll on every shop in Diagon Alley as nobody wanted to be out and about anymore. When the war had first begun, Weasley's Wizard Wheezes was thriving; people needed happiness during their time of despair and that's exactly what the shop brought. Now it was different, though. People were dying left, right, and centre, and Death Eaters were killing anyone who crossed their paths, regardless of their blood status. The twins' mother kept begging for them to return to the Burrow where it was protected, but neither Fred nor George wanted to leave their shop. They were not being careless, however; they had charms to protect them and knew to lock up and hide when trouble was approaching.

"What'chu doing, Freddie?" came the voice of his twin brother.

"Just checking something out, is the shop locked up?"

"Yeah, three Death Eaters walked by today, I think it's best we stay closed for the rest of the day."

Fred nodded in agreement. "Okay, I'll see you upstairs in our flat in a bit," he said, not looking at his brother.

"What's up, Fred?" George asked, knowing something was off with his twin. Fred sat silently for a moment, deciding on if he should tell George. He was going to tell him eventually, may as well do it now. He passed the little box off to George without saying a word. "Is that-? No… Really?" Fred smiled and nodded. "Freddie…" George said, still at a loss for words.

Fred reached out for the box again and stared down at the shiny diamond inside. "I love her, George, and we could all use some happiness right about now."

"Does Mum know?"

"Not yet, but I'll tell her."

George patted his brother on the shoulder. "Well done, Fred, Angelina is a wonderful person, I'll be glad to call her sister. When will you ask her?"

"Harry said there is going to be a fight soon, I'm thinking of doing it after."

"A wedding to celebrate the defeat of You-Know-Who! Wonderful idea, brother!"

"George," Fred said, in a very serious tone. "There's something I need to discuss with you, brother to brother."

George caught on to the seriousness of his voice and provided his full attention. "What is it, Freddie?"

"Angelina is a remarkable person and it is my job to protect her…" He trailed off for a moment, thinking of how to word what he was trying to say. "Should there every be a time that I cannot provide for her… If I die in this war…"

"Come on now, Fred, don't be so foolish! We are the Weasley twins, we don't die!"

"I'm serious George, no joking around right now. If anything should happen to me, then as my brother, I need you to promise me that you'll take care of her."

"Fred, I-"

"Promise me, George!"

George swallowed hard. "I promise, Fred."

"Good. You will take care of her and you will take this ring and marry her."

"Marry her? Fred, she's _your_ future wife!"

"And I hope that I survive this battle to make that happen. But if I do not, I will find peace in knowing that she is taken care of by my best friend. Now come on, I want to finish those expansions on the invisibility hats, I really think we have it now." Fred and George went upstairs laughing, with the thought of death already behind them. It was probably the most serious conversation that the pair had ever had, yet Fred knew that it was one that had to have been said.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Well, I had said that there would be deaths (this is a war, after all) and so they have begun. I started slow, but we are about to enter a full fledged war so here we go.

In regard's to the intruder, you will eventually find out who it is.. Guesses?

The next chapter tells the story of who Grindelwald attacked and what happened to them, so lots of info coming up, followed by a Sirius/James/Lily flashback.

Enjoy, and thanks as always!


	27. The First Fallen of the New War

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-Seven: The First Fallen of the New War**

 **Hermione Granger – Present Day**

 **January 6, 2000**

"How was your NEWT?" Hermione asked Draco, as they walked away from the Slytherin common room and made their way to the apparition point outside of the Hogwarts grounds.

"I thought it would be harder, actually," he answered. "Now I just have to do Muggle Studies on Monday and then I'm finally free!"

"That's wonderful!"

"Where are we going?" Draco asked her.

"Well, we are finished Hogwarts now and we need someone where to live, so I, uh, I've secured somewhere safe for us and I thought I would show you."

"Oh, where?"

"You'll see shortly," she answered. "I've made sure it's comfortable for you. You'll have a full wing to yourself and a house-elf so that you don't go hungry."

"Thanks," Draco said smiling. Hermione said nothing and instead silently side-apparated through four apparition points until they were finally outside of Krum's estate. "That's quite the house, Hermione," Draco said, skeptically. "Are those Quidditch goal posts in the back?" he asked, squinting to try and see them better. "Hermione, you hate Quidditch!" Hermione stayed quiet as she lead him through the front doors, up the stairs, and towards the west wing. She was incredibly grateful that Viktor had a Quidditch match and therefore wasn't at home.

"Well, here we are!" she said, opening the door to the west wing. They walked into a dimly lit sitting room, complete with a couch, a fireplace, a bookcase, and some sitting chairs. "Your bedroom is through there," she said, pointing towards a closed door. "And there's your toilets." She then turned to the other end of the sitting room. "There's a table and a little fridge for you, but the house-elf can bring you meals whenever you like. His name is Rango; all you have to do is call him."

"Where are we, Hermione?" Draco asked her.

"This is the west wing," she said. "It's your home until the Ministry finally let's you off."

"That's not what I meant. Where are we? Whose house is this?"

"I-I'm going to the kitchen for a drink, why don't you look around?" She made to close the door, but he stopped her.

"Is this Krum's house?"

Hermione took a deep breath. "Yes, it is, I have decided to live with him and he has been generous enough to provide this entire wing just for you."

" _Generous?_ Hermione, tell me this is a joke!"

"Why would it be a joke?"

"That means you and Krum, you're… Hermione, no!"

"Excuse me?"

"Hermione, please!" Draco was begging. "Anywhere but here! Let's go to Potter's! Or I can purchase any home you'd like! Bloody hell, I'll even go to the Weasel's, but please, not Krum!"

"What is the problem with Viktor?" she asked, taken aback.

"Hermione, please! He doesn't care about you the way that I do! Please!"

"Draco, I-"

"I love you, Hermione, please don't do this, not him!"

Hermione did not know how to react at that moment; she made another move to close the door, but Draco stopped her. "Draco, stop! I am living here, as are you. and now I am going to get a drink!"

"Please…" he whispered. She closed the door without another word, and leaned against it. Tears were rolling down her cheeks, yet she couldn't explain why. Before she could try and clear her head, she felt her pocket grow hot. She pulled out her galleon and read a message from Neville:

 _Someone's hurt, get to the Order_

Shaking, Hermione ran out the front door and started to make her way to Grimmauld Place, fear almost paralyzing her as she stood outside of number 12. Taking the deepest of breaths, she placed her hand on the handle and turned, terrified to find out who had been injured.

 **Harry Potter – Present Day**

 **January 6, 2000**

Harry watched as Order members arrived, feeling relieved as more people appeared. Neville had explained to him what had happened, and so they had called everyone back to determine who had been attacked. Nothing could have explained the joy Harry felt when he saw every Weasley arrive unscathed. The Weasleys, after all, were his family, and he could not fathom losing another member. Another huge weight was lifted off of his shoulders when he saw Hermione walk in as well. As the Order members started to fill the room, Harry wondered if Grindelwald had been lying, simply to remove all the guards from the places they were protecting. He relayed his fears to Ginny, but she did not agree.

"If there's one thing I've learned about Grindelwald, Harry, is that he means whatever he says. I hate to admit it, but I think he really did hurt someone." The room was buzzing with whispers at this point, as everyone was trying to determine who was missing. There were cries of happiness as Minerva McGonagall walked in, and even an applause when Kingsley Shacklebolt joined the group.

"Harry, I think everyone is here," said Hermione, looking down at a piece of paper. "All the people that were on duty today are here with us."

"Where's Fleur?" Harry asked, looking around.

"She's safe, Harry," answered Bill. "She was with me at our cottage when we received the galleon message; I told her to stay behind since she was watching Teddy. They are safe under my fidelius charm."

"Why is she watching Teddy?" asked Molly. "Where's Andromeda?"

"She doesn't have a galleon so she probably doesn't know that we are all meeting here," offered Hestia Jones.

"Yes, but why isn't _she_ with Teddy?" Molly asked again.

"She's not on duty today," said Hermione, glancing at the list again.

Ron gasped. "She was supposed to go with Essa to talk to Magdalena's parents, and Essa isn't here either!"

"Ouch!" said Neville; he forgot that he was holding his galleon in his hand when it turned hot. "It's a message from Essa!" he shouted.

"What does it say?" asked Harry.

"Help!"

"It's them," said Harry, already withdrawing his wand. "Professor McGonagall, you, Kingsley, Angelina, and I will go first and go directly into the house. Neville, you and Luna stand guard outside of it. Hermione, you and Hestia go to St. Mungo's and wait; we may have to bring them there. The rest of you stay here, we will be in touch."

"Harry, I'm going with you," said Ron.

"No, you're not, Ron. All Weasleys are to stay put."

"I'm coming, Harry, and I'm not fighting about it, either. Let's go!"

 **Minerva McGonagall – Present Day**

 **January 6, 2000**

After receiving the apparition points from Harry, Minerva arrived at the home of Magdalena's parents at roughly the same time as everyone else. Silently, Harry nodded to the group, and those designated to enter the house did so very cautiously. Harry, Kingsley, and Ron searched the bottom floor while Minerva and Angelina made their way to the staircase. Before they could ascend the stairs, however, they heard a small whisper from Kingsley behind them.

"This must be her parents," he whispered, standing over two bodies that were laying in the corner.

"Kingsley, are they-?"

"I think so," Kingsley said sadly. "There is blood around their heads. We can test it to be certain of course, but this was not Abracadabra."

"Avada Kedavra?" Harry asked quietly. Kingsley nodded. Sighing, Minerva placed her hand on Angelina's shoulder, silently indicating that they should make their way upstairs. As they reached the upper landing, Minerva had heard her before she saw her. Andromeda was laying on the ground, bleeding heavily. Minerva rushed to her side and shushed her as she tried to speak.

"Shh, easy now, it's going to be alright."

"Min… Erv… A… Ess… A…"

"Shh, I know. Ms. Johnson!" Minerva called out. "You and Mr. Weasley come here, quickly! Andromeda needs to be escorted to St. Mungo's immediately!" She stepped aside to allow them to lift Andromeda and carry her down the stairs. She had called out to Angelina since the girl was right there with her, but she had specifically chosen Ron to leave, so that he did not have to witness the scene that lay a few metres away, hidden in the shadows. Anger building inside of her, Minerva walked over to the dark corner and forced herself to look upon the body of Essa Delacour, where dead, scared eyes stared back at her.

"Oh no," came Harry's voice from behind her. "Is she-?"

"Yes, Potter, I am afraid so." She bent down and gently closed Essa's eyes.

"Is there a way to tell? Just to be certain?" Harry asked her. Without replying, Minerva bent down and attempted to draw blood from Essa. Instantly, blood started to flow out of the fresh wound that Minerva had inflicted.

"If she had been put under the Abracadabra curse, she would have been empty," she told Harry. "I am terribly sorry to confirm that Ms. Delacour is no longer with us."

"What do we do now, Professor?"

She looked into his sad eyes and frowned. He had to endure so much at his young age and she feared that it was only the beginning for him. "We must contact her family," she said. "Go back to the Order and speak to Bill Weasley privately. He will need to go inform his wife, who will in turn inform her family."

"What about Magdalena's parents? And Essa's…"

"Kingsley and I will deal with it; Take Neville and Luna back with you." Harry had obeyed, and soon it was just Kingsley and Minerva left at the little house. She felt Kingsley approach her and she dropped her gaze.

"How many are we going to lose this time?" she asked sadly.

He put his arm around her shoulders. "Too many, I am afraid, Minerva."

 **Sirius Black – The Past**

 **October 29, 1981**

"I wish I had better news for you, James, but the truth is that we really aren't close at all! Voldemort and his Death Eaters have control over everything. The giants, the dementors, the bloody Ministry…"

James swore loudly. "I can't keep Lily and Harry locked up here forever, Padfoot! This isn't a life for my wife and kids!"

"The Order is doing everything they can, Prongs. We'll get him, I promise you that." Sirius winced as he leaned back into his chair.

"Sirius, what's wrong?" asked Lily, walking into the room with a tray of tea.

"It's nothing, Lily," he said, slouching the other way as she approached him.

"It is not nothing, Sirius Black! Let me see!" She forcibly threw him back and lifted his shirt to reveal a large gash in his side. "Sirius! Who did this? This needs to be mended!"

"Relax, Lily, I'm fine!" he answered, lowering his shirt.

"Padfoot, who did this to you, mate?" James asked his best friend.

Sighing, Sirius answered his best friend. "Death Eaters. I ran into a pack of them the other day." Noting the looks on his friends' faces, he added, "they look worse, believe me."

Lily knelt beside him and lifted his shirt again. "What curse is this? I don't recognize it."

"I've never heard it before; Rookwood casted it but he missed so it only grazed me."

"Only _grazed_ you?" James repeated. "I would hate to see the outcome if it met you full on."

"I saw it; there was a muggle nearby and he used the curse on him. It cut him all up and there was blood pouring everywhere. It was like he threw a bunch of sharp blades."

Sirius felt Lily tense up beside him. "What did Rookwood say when he casted it, do you remember?"

"Nothing I've ever heard before. It sounded like sector central or something."

Lily gasped. " _Sectumsempra_ ," she whispered.

"Yes, that!" said Sirius. "How do you know that spell?"

Lily turned her head and was quiet for awhile. James walked up to her and placed an arm around her. "Lily?"

With tears in her eyes, she turned towards Sirius. "Severus created that spell," she said sadly.

"I should have known _Snevillus_ had something to do with it. So, he went around Hogwarts making murderous spells, did he?"

James gave Sirius a warning look, then turned to his wife. "It's fine, love, Sirius is okay."

"But he could have been hurt, James, or killed! Why were you even near Rookwood anyway, Sirius?"

"Four of them came after me, probably looking for information on the Order."

"Or information on us!" Lily said, terrified.

"Either way, doesn't matter, does it? They would have to kill me because I'll never give it up."

"But they will kill you, Sirius! Severus would have told Voldemort how close you and James are; they are going to target you!"

"She's right, Pads, maybe you being secret-keeper isn't such a good idea."

"Even if I wasn't the secret-keeper, they are going to assume I was anyway, so I'm targeted regardless."

"That may be true, but if they perform legilimens on you, they won't be able to find us if you aren't the secret-keeper."

Sirius considered this for awhile. "Wormtail," he finally said. "Voldemort would _never_ suspect him, they'll think him too weak!"

"I never thought about Wormtail…" James said, thinking.

"You think he would do it, James? And keep quiet?"

"Peter is one of my best friends, Lily. I trust him with my life; he would never betray me."

"I'll go find him," said Sirius, standing up. "I don't know why we never thought about this before."

"Where is he?" Lily asked.

"At Headquarters," answered Sirius. "He's too afraid to leave; he only goes out when he must."

"That's even better for us," Lily said. "The more he is hidden, the safer he is."

"I'll go now," he said, standing up. "When I get back, I want that quality time with my Godson; babies sleep way too much." With a laugh, Sirius left and made his way back to Headquarters, eager to make Wormtail secret-keeper and secure his friends' safety.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Well, there you have it, our first victim. I'm sorry to say that there will be more, but a great story requires twists and unexpected occurrences. If everyone lived, it would be much too predictable and boring. This was a shorter chapter, but I good one, I think. I included the scene with Sirius because I wanted to explain why Sirius decided to switch secret-keepers. We know from Rowling's story that it was Sirius' idea, but I did not want it to seem that Sirius was a coward or chickened out, and so I thought up this idea and I'm pretty happy with it! (PS.. Keep your eye out for more Snape/Lily flashbacks!)

The next chapter isn't as shocking, however it is an important one, with a big bang towards the end! It is followed by a flashback from Harry, particularly the remaining scene of Fred's funeral that we have yet to see.

Please leave your reviews, I enjoy reading them! Thanks as always!


	28. Another Funeral

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-Eight: Another Funeral**

 **Draco Malfoy – Present Day**

 **January 6, 2000**

Draco paced back and forth in his new wing. He knew that Hermione was dating Krum, and he wasn't naïve enough to think that they weren't being intimate together, but Hermione had always been adamant about not sleeping with anyone until she knew she was going to marry them. So why then, was she sleeping with Krum? Surely, he hadn't proposed? But what if he had, and what if she had accepted? Anger and frustration was building inside of him as he considered all the options. There was no way someone like Krum would be living with a girl and not sleeping with her. It did not matter which way he looked at it, his worst fears had been confirmed: he had lost Hermione forever. He heard the door to the wing open, and he went to turn on the lights. It hadn't occurred to him earlier that he had been pacing in the dark. "Hermione, thank goodness you're back! Can we please talk about this?!"

"It is not Hermione," came the deep voice of the man that Malfoy now loathed.

"What are you doing here, Krum?" Draco said, gritting his teeth.

"It is my estate, I can do as I vish."

"This wing is mine while I'm here though, so get out."

"This ving is vere you are imprisoned, until Hermione no longer has to babysit you, but it is not _yours."_

"Get out," Draco spat.

Krum laughed. "I do not vish to be here vith you, and I vill not return again. Afterall, I haff plenty of things to do wiff _my_ vitch," he said smirking. "I am only here to inform you of the rules."

"The _rules?"_ It was Draco's turn to laugh. "This may be your house, Krum, but I am here because of Hermione and I do NOT answer to you."

Krum smiled. "Jealously looks horrible on you, Malfoy. Now, ven you are here, you are _my_ guest. You break any rule and I vill report you to your Ministry. You are not to be alone vith Hermione and you are not to leave this ving. Not that you can, anyway, the charms don't allow you to. But if you somehow manage to convince her, I vill put a stop to it."

"Look who's jealous now!" Draco responded. "Why are you so worried about your girlfriend? Surely if she _loved_ you she wouldn't want to be with me."

"She is living vith me, Malfoy, I haff nothing to worry about. I do not, however, trust you. So, you haff heard my terms, stick to them or off to Azkaban you vill go."

"You realize, Krum, that by implicating me you also send her to Azkaban?"

"Then do not screw up," he answered.

"You're supposed to care about her!" Draco yelled. "And you would risk her going to Azkaban? You really think Hermione is going to stay with you after hearing that?"

"She is not going to believe you, her ex-boyfriend who only sees her as a mudblood, over me, her boyfriend that she sleeps next to every night. Goodbye, Malfoy."

"Aargh!" Draco grabbed the nearest candelabra and threw it at Krum, but he had closed the door to the wing before it could hit him. Infuriated, Draco grabbed his galleon and sent Hermione probably the fifteenth message that evening. "Why aren't you responding?" he yelled, aloud. An idea suddenly popped into his head. "Rango!" he called out. At once, a small house-elf appeared out of thin air.

"Is visitor Malfoy hungry?" asked the little elf, as if Draco summoning him was a constant thing.

"No, I need you to find Hermione and bring her here."

Rango started to twist his bat-like ears. "Visitor Malfoy is only allowed to request meals. Master Krum has specifically instructed Rango to only provide meals to visitor Malfoy."

"Urgh, fine! Kreacher!" Draco yelled.

Rango twisted his ears again. "Visitor Malfoy does not have the power to summon an elf that is not his own. Master Krum has ensured that visitor Malfoy can only request meals."

"Tell your master that he is going to pay!" Draco screamed. He began trashing the wing and did not notice Rango disappear. After about a quarter of an hour, Draco sat down, defeated. When he had finally given up hope, he received a message from Hermione on his galleon:

 _There's been a murder, one of the Order members. I'll get to you when I can._

Draco thought long and hard of the Order members that he knew. Who could it have been? _Why couldn't it have been Krum?_ he thought, bitterly. He received a little satisfaction when he remembered that Krum was not part of the Order. Sighing, he looked at the galleon again. It was a new war, a much different war, but a war nonetheless. This time, however, he was not safe. Hosting the Dark Lord at his family home had provided him and his mother safety; what could he possibly do now to ensure safety for them with Grindelwald?

 **Ron Weasley – Present Day**

 **January 9, 2000**

Ron walked out of the fireplace at The Burrow, after just coming back from Grimmauld Place. He entered the kitchen and saw Jessica making a sandwich. "Hey, can I join you?" he asked her.

"Sure." The pair made their sandwiches in silence.

"Where is Amelia?" he asked her.

"Upstairs playing with Teddy, they've been getting along great."

"Awesome," Ron replied, not knowing what else to say.

"How is Andromeda?" Jessica asked him.

"Still unconscious," Ron answered sadly. "She'll probably be at St. Mungo's for quite awhile, but they're optimistic that she will make a full recovery."

"Wonderful," Jessica said, sincerely happy.

"Mum said you'll be watching Teddy when we go to the funeral today?"

"Yeah, since I can't travel magically like you guys, I'll be staying behind with the kids. It's not like I really have a reason to go, anyway."

Ron nodded. "Can we talk about it, Jessica?" he asked her.

"Talk about what? Molly explained what happened, I'm really sorry to hear."

"Jessica, when everything first happened with Amelia and I contacted my mum, well, I told her you were my girlfriend." He waited for her to reply, but continued when she did not. "Er, are you my girlfriend?" he asked, blatantly.

"Everyone here seems to think so," she said, not really giving him an answer.

"Do you think you want to be?" he asked her again.

Jessica shrugged. "There was definitely something going on between us before everything happened with Amelia," she said. "I'm okay with continuing it."

"Yeah, okay, great," Ron replied. "So, in terms of my girlfriend…?"

Jessica laughed. "A lot has happened since we first started seeing each other. It's just a lot to take in right now and I'm not ready to put titles on anything just yet. But, yes Ron, we are together."

Relief washed over Ron's face, but then anxiety began to set in. "There's something I need to tell you," he said. "Essa was my ex, as you know, but what you don't know is that I was seeing her when I met you, and I, uh, kind of left her _for_ you."

"I see," Jessica said, catching on. "So, your break-up was pretty recent, then."

"Yeah, and I caused her a lot of pain, and I was the last person that she dated, and I feel responsible, and-"

"Ron, do what you need to do at the funeral," she said, cutting off his stumble.

"Really?"

"Really. She seemed nice from what everyone is saying, and she didn't deserve to die the way she did. Go ahead and give her a good send off."

"Thank you so much, Jessica!" he said, kissing her.

She kissed him back, then got up to go check on the kids. "Besides," she added, as she headed for the staircase, "what I don't know can't hurt me, right?"

Before Ron could process what she had meant, he heard someone stumble out of the fireplace. "Ready?" came the voice of his best friend, Harry.

"Yeah, let's go." The pair arrived at a very small graveyard, where grape vines hung all around the premises. "This place is protected?" Ron asked him.

"Yeah, Fleur's Dad is secret-keeper, that's whose hand-writing was on the note I gave you."

"If this place is under the fidelius charm, then how can other people visit their families' graves?"

"This is a private cemetery. Fleur told me that only Delacour's are buried here, and since all the Delacour's will be here for the funeral, everyone who visits here has already been let in by Mr. Delacour."

"Oh," said Ron, not knowing what else to say. Together, they took their seats next to Hermione, and the service began. Heart-filled, sad, words were heard by many people, including Essa's broken-hearted parents, and Fleur herself. Finally, when all the members of the Delacour family said what they had to say, Ron stood up and made his way to the front, where the closed casket laid with Essa's body. "H-Hello," Ron stammered, more nervous than he had ever been before. "My name is Ron Weasley, and I was Essa's boyfriend. Falling in love with Essa was easy. She had come up to me, a complete stranger, seeing that I was having a rough day, and she completely turned it around. That was the kind of person Essa was. Happy, gorgeous, brilliant, and she never let anything bother her or anyone around her." Ron paused before continuing on with his eulogy, terrified to say what he had planned to say next, but felt that he had to, regardless. "I left Essa not too long ago, because I thought I wasn't good enough for her. Someone like her deserved a strong, handsome, wizard that was just as loving as she was. Someone brilliant and talented, someone who could light up a room like she did, someone not like me. I am an average wizard and she of course was far from average. I broke her heart and now she is gone." Ron turned towards the coffin, speaking only to Essa. "I'm so sorry, Essa. I do love you and I always will, and you deserved so much better than me." Ron took his seat again and somewhat paid attention to the conclusion of the service. It took Harry patting him on the shoulder, for Ron to realize that it was over.

"Come on," Harry had said to him quietly. "The funeral is over, it's time to get to the Order meeting."

 **Harry Potter – Present Day**

 **January 9, 2000**

Everyone had slowly started to file into Grimmauld Place after Essa's funeral, mostly all still in their dress robes. Harry saw Hermione hovering over in a corner, and he made his way to her. "Are you okay?" he asked her.

"Better than most, I guess," she said, looking over at Fleur who was crying into Bill's shoulder. "I can't believe she's gone, she was so young!"

"That's war," Harry said bitterly. "How are things with Krum and Malfoy?" he asked her, trying to change the subject.

Hermione laughed. "As horrible as expected, of course. I left Draco back in his wing at Krum's estate, but I never said a word to him and I still haven't. He is so mad, Harry, but what else was I to do? Viktor is my boyfriend; it makes sense for me to live with him."

Harry nodded, wondering if Hermione was trying to convince herself as well as Harry. "And how are things with Krum?"

"Well, he knows what's going on with Essa, of course, so I haven't been there yet and he completely understands. But everything is finally out of Hogwarts now, I can officially say that it's no longer my home." There was some sadness in her voice that Harry knew all too well. He would soon be leaving Hogwarts as well, with only one NEWT left to do, and it was a bittersweet feeling. "So, I'll being going to Viktor's tonight," she continued. "For good. Everything is already there except for my minivan full of stuff, but I've checked the Burrow and it's gone and I don't have the heart to bring it up to anybody. Perhaps Ron got rid of it out of spite, or Arthur or Molly did, not realizing what it was. Either way, it's gone, and I have to come to terms with that."

"It's going to be alright with them once everything settles in," Harry comforted her. "Hopefully soon, Malfoy can go back to his mother's and then it will all be over." He patted her on the shoulder, then walked to the front of the group, where Kingsley stood waiting to start the meeting. Everyone went silent when they saw Harry and Kingsley standing there, and the meeting officially began.

"It is unfortunate that we must meet after what we had to do just now," Kingsley began, "but we are meeting to bring down the people who did this, and I assure you that we will not let Essa's death be in vain."

After a round of applause and a few whistles, Neville stood up and began to speak. "Grindelwald told Luna and I that Harry was to send Gloria to him the next day, or more people would suffer, but that would have been two days ago."

"He hasn't done anything yet, but that could be because he hasn't found any of us yet. Let's act as though we know he will kill any of us the moment he sees us," responded Harry.

"Who is Gloria?" asked Angelina.

"Ginny, that's what he calls her."

"And what does he want with her?" Molly asked. Harry turned to his friends for help, as Grindelwald's spell still prevented Harry from talking.

"He's looking for the Deathly Hallows," Hermione said. "They are real and we know where they are, but we aren't handing them over, of course."

"We know that he is still in that mansion, but he has a way of getting in and out of it, so we know he can do whatever it is that he wants to do," Kingsley said. "We need to conduct a plan that will-" but his sentence was cut short when an owl swooped in and dropped a letter in his hands. He quickly read the letter to himself, but then gasped. "They are attacking St. Mungo's!" he said.

"Andromeda!" Minerva McGonagall cried. Everyone made to head to the hospital, but Harry shouted for them to stop.

"The Weasley's need to stay here, the rest of us will conduct a plan."

"Harry, we are all in danger now, Weasley or not," Arthur said.

"And there is no time to make a plan, people are going to die!" Charlie said. Without another word, the Order headed out of Grimmauld Place by floo and apparition from the front steps, and headed towards St. Mungo's.

 **Harry Potter – The Past**

 **May 4, 1998**

Harry looked out at everyone in front of him, took a deep breath, and began to say his eulogy from the top of his head, as he had not intended on doing one. "I first met Fred at King's Cross when I was eleven. It was my first time going to Hogwarts and I was alone and didn't know how to get onto the platform. Mrs. Weasley and her children showed me how to do it, and then Fred and George were kind enough to help me carry my trunk onto the train." Harry paused for a moment, then continued. "It's hard to talk about Fred without mentioning George; there really wasn't one without the other. Both brilliant, both hilarious, and both skilled quidditch players. I had the honor of playing alongside Fred on the Gryffindor quidditch team and I can honestly say that he had the ability to go far with his quidditch career if he wanted to. There are no better beaters out there than Fred and George Weasley. It was Fred and George who helped me enjoy Hogwarts to its fullest," Harry said, thinking about when they gave him the Marauder's map, but not elaborating. "And no Hogwarts student can ever forget Fred and George's exit from school!" Harry heard a few laughs throughout the crowd and he joined in. "There was never a party in the common room that was not started by the Weasley twins, and never a party that didn't end with them, either." Many Gryffindors in the crowd nodded in agreement. "And they are bloody brilliant! For those of you who haven't visited Weasley's Wizard Wheezies yet, you must! Not only do they have the absolute biggest supply of joke related merchandise, they also have a large number of items that could save your life. I personally used two of their own creations to help escape skilled dark wizards, and I wouldn't be standing here today if it wasn't for them." Harry took a deep breath, and continued. "Fred and George's skills and intelligence saved my life, and in turn, I took Fred's. Fred, just like almost everyone here, put their lives on the line for a good cause. I did not ask for the war with Voldemort, but it happened, and I was a large part of that. Fred fought for me, and he lost for me, and there are truly no other words I can say except for sorry. To Fred's parents, Arthur and Molly Weasley, I am sorry that you lost a son. To Bill, Charlie, Percy, Ron, and Ginny, I am sorry that you lost a brother. To George, I am sorry that you lost a brother, twin, business partner, and best friend. To everyone here who had known and loved Fred, I am sorry that I took him from your life." Harry walked away from the podium and choked out his last few words, "I'm sorry," before taking off towards a nearby forest and not returning for the remainder of the service.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** My apologies in the delay in posting; my baby is teething so the last couple of days all he wants is Mommy cuddles and between the teething, fever, and nastiness in the diaper, it's been hard to get to my computer! (And of course my husband has to work overtime when I need him the most!)

So, the funeral. I wanted Ron to open up a little bit because I find that he's a brick wall sometimes and it bugs me. (Here's a little foreshadowing for you: the Jessica-Ron establishing what they are thing is going to be really important at some point!)

To answer a review: first off, thanks for the wonderful words! I will definitely add a chapter or two on wandlore for you! (Since that review, I've already decided when and how to incorporate it in my story!)

The next chapter is a big one: The fight at St. Mungo's. That's all I will say here!

As always, thanks, and please send your questions and comments via reviews or inbox; I love reading them =)


	29. Insurance

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Twenty-Nine: Insurance**

 **Harry Potter – Present Day**

 **January 9, 2000**

When Harry arrived at St. Mungo's, it was nothing but chaos. There were witches and wizards everywhere, casting a variety of spells at one another. There were the screams of the innocent who had no idea what was going on. Patients and visitors alike were trying to take cover or leave, whilst visitors of those who weren't awake were trying to somehow transport their unconscious loved ones to a safe place. Harry aimed his wand and tried to stun the nearest rebel, but the problem was that he did not know who was friend and who was foe. It seemed as though (unlike the Death Eaters), Grindelwald's supporters did not hide beneath cloaks or disguises, and it therefore made it harder to determine who was on the wrong side. An adult witch to his right was dueling another adult witch, but Harry did not know who to defend. Before he could make a decision, he was distracted by a very large _boom_ above him. Harry headed for the stairs and ran all the way up until he found the place where the explosion had come from. He nearly tripped over someone with bushy hair, and quickly turned around to determine that it was Hermione on the ground. "Hermione!" Harry yelled, bending down to see her.

"I'm alright!" she said, accepting his help to stand. "The blast threw me several feet, and I think I broke my arm."

Harry saw that she was cradling her left wrist. "You need to get out of here; go to Hogwarts and have Madam Pomfrey mend you."

"I'm fine, Harry, my wand hand is my right. Besides, I need to find Neville; we were both up here when the explosion happened."

"Neville!" Harry yelled out, afraid that his friend was worse off than Hermione. Harry looked around him, and realized at once where he was. This was the fourth-floor, and across from where he was standing was the Janus Thickey Ward. "Hermione," Harry said, making his way through the debris. "Neville's gone after his parents, come on." After climbing over large chunks of the fallen ceiling, pushing through the heavy door to the ward that was now hanging by one hinge, and stumbling over a body laying on the ground (he was terrified to look and see who it was), Harry find a heavily bleeding Neville tending over the body of a man.

"Neville, are you alright?" came Hermione's voice, who had followed Harry through the mess.

"Fine," said Neville, not looking at them. "My dad is badly hurt though, I don't know what to do." Hermione pushed past Harry to take a look at Frank Longbottom. After a few moments, she took a deep breath and smiled.

"It's a head injury, Neville, but he'll be alright. Quick, take that cloth right there and wrap it around his head tightly. I won't be able to mend it, but Madam Pomfrey will."

"Neville, get your dad out of here and go to Hogwarts; Madam Pomfrey will help him."

"What about my mum? Harry, I can't leave her here."

"We'll take care of her, I promise. Go!" Harry added, when he saw Neville hesitate. Neville guided an injured and confused Frank Longbottom out of the ward, and hopefully, safely out of the hospital where he could apparate him to Hogwarts.

"What are we going to do with her?" Hermione asked, indicating towards Alice Longbottom. "Her mind isn't clear thanks to what Bellatrix did to her, it'll be difficult to navigate her out of here."

"Well, we have to try," Harry said, grabbing Alice by the hand. "Can you apparate her to Headquarters?"

"If I get outside, yeah, but I can't guide her out of here with just one hand and use my wand to defend us."

"Will it work if I whisper the Headquarters location in her ear?" Hermione nodded, and so Harry, as secret-keeper, gave her the information required to enter Number 12, Grimmauld Place. When he was finished, he heard someone trying to get through the rubble. He raised his wand ready to attack, but relaxed at once when he realized that it was only Ron.

"I passed Neville on the staircase, he said you guys were here," came Ron's voice.

"Thank goodness it's you Ron, we need your help. You need to help Hermione guide Alice Longbottom through the hospital, so that Hermione can apparate her to safety."

"Hermione, what happened to your arm?" asked Ron, ignoring what Harry had just said to him.

"I'm fine!" Hermione said. "Just help me get Alice out of here!" Together, Ron and Hermione guided a disoriented Alice through the messy ward and into the main hall.

"Take care of each other, and of her," Harry called to them. "I'll meet you at Headquarters as soon as I can." He started to leave the ward himself, eager to find the rest of his friends to make sure that they were okay (and Godric Gryffindor, Ginny _better_ be okay), when he stopped beside the body that he had passed earlier. Frowning, Harry bent down and closed the eyelids of the man in front of him. He was the biggest fraud and an incredible fool, but even Gilderoy Lockhart did not deserve to die this way.

 **Ginny Weasley – Present Day**

 **January 9, 2000**

"You're going to be okay, I promise," Ginny kept saying over and over as she applied pressure to the open wound that was pouring out blood.

"Owww, I can't, noooo!"

"Shhh," Ginny cooed. "Just lay back, don't speak, it's going to be alright." She slowly lifted her head from her hiding spot, careful not to be seen by any foe nearby, and glanced over at the unconscious Andromeda that was laying on the floor across from her. Since her injury the day that Essa had died, Andromeda had not woken up. The Healer's were certain that she would eventually make a full recovery, but then this happened at St. Mungo's. When Ginny had arrived, her first thought was to find Andromeda, knowing that she would have been unconscious and therefore not able to defend herself. As Ginny had approached her room, however, she saw a man aim his wand at the ceiling, and she barely had time to take cover before there was a loud explosion and the ceiling came crumbling down. Ginny found her way through the rubble to Andromeda's room, but as she made to enter, a woman had grabbed her leg. Flinching, Ginny immediately grabbed her wand (or rather, temporary one since Grindelwald still had hers), but realized at once that it was an injured Healer seeking help. Ginny immediately attempted to help her, but her injury was much too grave and before she could try and find help, she heard voices approaching. Not knowing who it could be, she quickly dragged the injured Healer into a corner, and together they sat in hiding, hoping that the voices would soon leave. Ginny stared at Andromeda but could not determine the extent of her new injuries. The explosion had clearly knocked Andromeda out of her bed, but Ginny did not know what else it had done to her.

"Ooow, help!"

"Shh," Ginny said again, using her free hand to cover the Healer's mouth. "We need to be quiet!" she whispered.

"Ginny?"

"Harry!" Ginny called out, relieved to know that he was okay. "Harry, I think someone else is here, and I-" There was a loud noise behind Harry; someone else was trying to dig through the debris.

"Get down and stay quiet," Harry whispered to her, pulling out his wand.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Harry Potter himself." Ginny froze when she recognized the voice; it was Gellert Grindelwald. Terrified that the injured Healer would give away their spot, she looked down at her only to see that she was now unconscious. Ginny felt for her pulse; it was there, but it was very weak.

"So, I guess we finally meet," Harry said to Grindelwald.

"I knew that we would, Harry Potter, but I never expected it to be here, now, _alone._ " Ginny did not like how Grindelwald had said _alone_ ; it was almost as if he knew someone was hiding. She looked down at the Healer again; her pulse was almost gone.

"What was all this about, then?" Harry asked him. "You said you wanted _The Greater Good_ , how is destroying the hospital help you achieve that?"

Grindelwald smiled. "You know what I need to achieve The Greater Good, Harry Potter, and you don't seem to want to give it to me. All this," he waved his empty hand around the room, "was because you didn't give it to me. You killed all these people, Harry Potter."

"No, _you_ did. I gave you terms, but you decided not to meet them."

"You are not in control, although you may think you are. Here, let me show you." Grindelwald must have flicked his wand, for out of nowhere, the large piece of concrete hiding Ginny and the Healer had vanished, and she was now staring at Harry and Grindelwald. "Hello, Gloria," Grindelwald smiled. "Come here, please." Ginny slowly walked towards him, but she felt Harry stiffen as she passed him.

"No," Harry shouted, wand still aimed at Grindelwald.

"It's fine," she whispered to him as she made her way over to Grindelwald. Once she was within arms reach, Grindelwald grabbed her and aimed his wand at her throat.

"Do you see, Harry Potter, you are not in control, I am. Now, let us talk about the Hallows, please."

"Fine, but let her go."

"Clearly you do not understand me, Harry Potter, so allow me to say it slowly for you. You. Are. Not. In. Control. Now, where are my Hallows?"

"I'll take you to them," Harry said quickly. "Just let her go and we can go get them together."

Grindelwald laughed. "Do you honestly think that I am about to walk out of here, with _you_ , in front of all your Order friends?"

"They listen to me," Harry said.

"Well, this one here doesn't listen very well," he said, referring to Ginny. "She was supposed to come back to me. Why didn't you, Gloria?"

"Because I didn't have the Hallows."

"But that wasn't your only instruction, was it? You were supposed to return to me. Now I must teach you all a lesson."

"I'll go now," Ginny said desperately, fearing Harry's safety. But Grindelwald laughed again.

"It is too late for that, Gloria," he said to her. "I told you that I am a man of my word and so I must prove to you that I am."

"No!" Harry screamed, louder than ever. "Take me instead!"

"Well, now, look at this! Harry Potter is going to sacrifice his life for Gloria! Now why would he do that?" Ginny's heart sunk as she realized that Grindelwald had figured it out. "Of course! This isn't _Gloria_! No, this here is _Ginny_ , Harry Potter's _girlfriend!_ Well, haven't I landed on a goldmine or what!"

"Whatever you want, Grindelwald, just let her go." Harry said quietly.

"I want the Hallows, Harry Potter, tell me where they are!"

"I can't!" Harry said again. "No, wait!" he yelled, as Grindelwald moved his wand closer to Ginny. "There's a spell that won't allow me to tell you, but I can take you there, you have my word!"

"Your word is useless to me now, I have something much more valuable!"

"If you kill her, I will NEVER give them to you, and if you kill me, you will never have them. So really, trusting me is your only option," Harry said.

Grindelwald smiled. "You _are_ a smart one, aren't you? I can't say that I don't like a good sport… Alright Harry Potter, let's have some fun! Meet me at my mansion since you know where it is and your precious _Ginny_ may live."

"Deal," Harry said quickly. "Let her go."

Grindelwald made to let her go, but then stopped. "Oh, I almost forgot," he said jokingly. "I must take my insurance. _Abracadabra!_ "

 **Arthur Weasley – Present Day**

 **January 9, 2000**

Arthur Weasley thought he had heard the screams of Harry, so he and several Order of the Phoenix members had made their way to what was supposed to be the fourth floor, only to come face-to-face with a tragic scene: Harry and Grindelwald pointing wands at one another, and Ginny on the… _No…_ "GINNY!" screamed Arthur. There was another blast. Soon, the entire room was filled with dust and nobody could see anything.

"My mansion," came what must have been the sound of Grindelwald's voice. Once the dust had cleared, Grindelwald was nowhere to be seen.

"Ginny!" Arthur cried, making his way to his only daughter.

"It's alright, Arthur," said Harry, kneeling down beside him and Ginny. "It's the Abracadabra curse, she's alive."

"Thank Godric," sighed Arthur, grabbing his chest. "Are you alright, son?" he asked Harry.

"Yeah, but there's some injured people in here, come on." Arthur followed Harry into a room where a Healer lay unconscious on the ground, blood spilling out of her like water. He bent down to feel a pulse.

"This one is gone," he said sadly. The other people that had been with Arthur were also looking for survivors.

"Andromeda needs help, Arthur," came Minerva's voice. Arthur made his way over to them, where an unconscious but alive Andromeda laid on the ground.

"But this is the hospital," Harry said. "Where else can we take the injured?"

"To Hogwarts," said Minerva at once. "It seems as though Grindelwald and his followers are gone, so have all the injured transported to Hogwarts immediately. Poppy can start treating them, but any Healer that is able to go and help should do so immediately. Arthur, can you go there now with Andromeda and inform Poppy?"

"Of course," said Arthur. He then turned to Harry. "Do you know if the others are safe?" he asked him, afraid of the answer.

"Ron, Hermione, and Neville are," Harry answered. "But I don't know about anyone else."

Arthur nodded. "Well, send word on your galleon, if you don't mind. Let's get the injured moved to Hogwarts, then the rest of us need to meet at Headquarters." As Harry started to pull out his galleon, Arthur turned and levitated Andromeda. "Harry, can you-" Arthur started to say, but was unable to finish his sentence.

"I'll take care of Ginny," Harry told him, understanding what he was trying to say.

Arthur smiled. "I know you will."

 **Harry Potter – The Past**

 **April 6, 1999**

It had taken Harry several visits to Gringotts, but he had finally organized the majority of his vault. Throughout his years at Hogwarts, Harry had only ever grabbed coins from the front of his vault and gone off to buy whatever it was that he needed. A few months ago, however, when he had made a stop to get some coins, he noticed a shiny chalice in the corner. He made his way over to it and noticed that there was a large 'P' on it. He realized at once that it must have been the Potter sigil, and for the first time it dawned on him that his vault must have contained more than money in it. He began immediately going through it, and over the weeks he started to find many artifacts that clearly had belonged to his parents. Since Harry had never really known his parents, and lost the closest people to them (like Sirius and Remus), anything he found in the vault that wasn't gold was completely fascinating to him, and he was finally starting to learn what his parents were like. For instance, after discovering seven different sets of pearls, Harry concluded that his mother must have been a pearl fanatic. He pictured her with her long red hair, wearing beautiful pearls around her neck. That made him think of another redhead that he loved, and could not wait to one day gift these to her. Halfway through the vault and off to one side, Harry found a dirty old broomstick. He picked it up and read the name on the handle: Wild Wind 470. Harry had read enough about broomsticks to know that this was an old broom. A large grin spread across his face when he realized that this must have been his father's quidditch broom. Harry had moved the broom to now lay atop a golden table that was in there. He was just about finished for the day and was going to lock his vault, when he noticed a small black box sitting atop a pedestal in the very back corner. Curious, he made his way over to it when he noticed a piece of parchment was attached. He carefully removed the parchment and read the letter in what he now knew was his mother's handwriting:

 _My dearest Harry,_

 _I pray that one day I may give you this in person, but since this is a war, I had to ensure that no matter what, I got this to you. Enclosed in this box is the very ring that your father, James, gave to me when he asked me to marry him. The very ring has been in your Father's family since the very first Potter. It is very old and very special. I was honored to receive it, and I am honored to pass it on to my son so that he may one day put it on the finger of the woman he loves. My wish for you is that you find happiness and are always loved. A love like mine and your father's is rare, yet I believe in my heart that you will find it, too. I ask that you cherish this ring and do not give it to anyone lightly. But when you do finally give it to your soulmate, I know that you will be the best husband that there is._

 _Your loving mother, Lily xx_

Harry put down the letter and opened up the little box. Inside was a golden ring with a large opal in the middle. Harry did not know much about jewelry, but he knew that this ring had to of been priceless. Silently promising his mother that he would honor her wishes, he put the box back on the pedestal, until the day that he was ready to make Ginny his wife.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** I enjoyed adding this scene to the story because it really hits a lot of our characters and I need them to fully feel the effects of war.

To respond to some reviews: I am glad to hear that so many of you love Ginny! I did not include her in the previous chapter simply because not every chapter is going to mention every character. Up until this chapter, there wasn't much going on for Ginny. Remember that this story is covering a 19 year span so there will be times where certain characters will be absent and other times where they are the main focus. I can assure you that Ginny will have a big story line shortly. (Perhaps between 10-15 chapters from now). In regards to the Hermione, Draco, Krum, triangle.. I did say in the beginning that there will be some Dramione in this fic. I also said that I would stay true to Rowling's epilogue, but keep in mind that a lot can happen in nineteen years! I can tell you that there will be an end to the triangle shortly; A few more things need to happen first! In terms of sending Draco to Azkaban, Hermione, Harry, and gang need to keep Order business separate from Ministry business. What I mean by that is the Order knows about the spell but the Ministry does not, and they cannot send Draco to Azkaban without a reason, and there isn't one since the spell is not known to the Ministry.

The next chapter is a huge push for team Order, when some vital information is revealed. (Although, not all of it because that would be too easy lol) There's also going to be a push towards Dramione, and I'm sorry but no Ginny at this point because she is currently under the Abracadabra spell! The flashback in the next one is a Remus Lupin one.

I decided to post this chapter early because I don't know what my week is going to look like. Hope you all like it and I look forward to your reviews!


	30. The Person and the Vessel

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Thirty: The Person and the Vessel**

 **Hermione Granger – Present Day**

 **January 22, 2000**

It had been a few weeks since the attack at St. Mungo's, and thankfully, other than a minor hiccough here and there, there had been no other attacks. St. Mungo's, however, still had not been restored as the entire fifth floor had caved in and caused damage throughout the entire building. All the sick and injured witches and wizards were currently being treated at Hogwarts by Madam Pomfrey and some Healers, but for the safety of the students, there were absolutely no visitors allowed. Madam Pomfrey had fixed Hermione's broken wrist right away, healed the injury to Frank's head, and fixed all of Neville's injuries, whatever they had been. (All Hermione had seen was blood, but he was too determined to help others to bring attention to his injuries at all). Ginny currently laid next to George, Remus, Tonks, and Magdalena at Grimmauld Place, and Frank and Alice Longbottom were currently at the Longbottom residence, being watched by Neville's grandmother. Since Gilderoy Lockhart had no family, Harry, Ron, Hermione, and a few Order members held a small service for him and had him buried at a local cemetery. Andromeda had survived the explosion but was now in worse shape than before. She was still unconscious, and currently being treated at Hogwarts under the careful eye of Madam Pomfrey and Healer Martus. Teddy was still being looked after by Molly and Jessica at the Burrow and, for the time being, Amelia's appointments were being held at the Burrow with special visits from Healer Martus himself. A few days after the explosion at the hospital, Hermione had taken Draco to Viktor's estate permanently, but since then, she had yet to visit him in his wing. A part of her felt bad that she had him locked in there with nobody for company apart from Rango, but surely he could understand, with everything that was going on right now. It was well passed midnight when she walked through the front door of the estate. She had moved in not too long ago, but between her watches for the Order, helping at the hospital wing at Hogwarts, and attending Order meetings, Hermione had yet to sleep there. Most days, she slept at headquarters, too tired to take all the apparating points required to get to Bulgaria.

"There you are," came Viktor's groggy voice.

"Oh, you're up," Hermione said surprise. "I hope I didn't wake you."

"Not at all, I vas vaiting for you, but I thought you veren't going to come home again."

Hermione shivered at the word _home._ "Sorry, it's just been so hectic," she said.

He nodded in understanding. "You must be so tired," he said. "Come to bed."

"I'm going to grab a shower first, I'll see you in a bit." Hermione grabbed her dressing gown and headed to the shower, allowing the hot water to pour over her for what felt like hours. She finished up, get dressed, and headed to the kitchen to get a glass of water, when she saw Viktor standing there, in nothing but his undergarments. "Oh!" she said surprised.

"Come to bed, Hermione."

"I-I was just going to get some water," she stammered.

"I already got you a glass; I remember you telling me you always haff a glass next to you when you sleep."

"Thank you," she said, then, seeing as though she did not have a choice, she followed him into the master bedroom. She had assumed that moving in with Viktor would also mean sleeping in the same bed as him, but now that it was time, she felt incredibly uncomfortable. She slid into her side of the bed and laid at the very edge of the bed, hoping that Viktor would not roll closer to her.

"You know," he said into the darkness. "I do not haff a disease."

Hermione laughed nervously. "I'm sorry, Viktor, it's just that-"

"I already know," he said to her. "And I vill not try anything vith you until you are ready. But it is a little offensive that you von't get close to me."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Hermione inched a little closer to him. "Thank you," she breathed. It did not take long for Viktor to fall asleep, but Hermione was wide awake. There was way too much going through her mind, particularly Ginny at that precise moment. How many more were going to fall under the curse, and would they ever figure out the countercurse? Sighing, Hermione knew exactly what she had to do, and she needed to stop finding excuses. Getting up as quietly as possible, she made her way out of the master bedroom, and down the hall to the west wing. She quietly opened the door and wondered how she was going to wake Draco up, when a voice made her jump nearly two feet.

"What are you doing here?"

"Merlin's beard, Draco! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

"Sorry," he said smirking. "It is my wing after all, isn't it? I assumed you would expect to find me here."

"Well, obviously, but I thought you would be in bed."

"I was getting a drink," he answered.

"It's so dark in here, can you light a candle or something please?" Draco lit a candelabra near him, and Hermione jumped again. "What are you doing? Put some clothes on!" she screamed.

"Well, I wasn't expecting company, was I? And for the record, I _am_ wearing clothing."

"You're in your underwear!"

"So?"

"Draco, go and put a dressing gown on, now!" Hermione had turned her head away and waited in his sitting room until he finally returned. He had hardly gotten dressed though; all he did was put on a pair of pants, but he remained shirtless. "Really?" she said to him.

"What can I do for you?" he said, smirking.

Hermione took a deep breath. "You're mad at me, so why don't you say whatever it is that you want to say."

"That's not why you came in here," Draco said, sitting across from her. "So why don't you tell me what you want, Granger."

"Back to Granger, I see," she said, more to herself than anything. She had come in here for a reason though, and so, she steadied her breathing, and asked the question that she needed to know. "I need the counter-curse to Abracadabra."

Draco almost lifted his head to look at her, before staring back down at his hands. "No."

"Please."

"No."

"Draco, I know that you know. Crabbe is still here because of that curse, I _know_ he is, and I need you to help me."

Draco kept his head in his hands. "Hermione, I- No."

"You what, Draco? You _what?_ "

"I can't."

"Yes, you can, Draco! Do the right thing, save all those people!"

"I gave my father my word! There are many things that get passed down from father to son and _only_ from father to son. I'm supposed to pass it down to my son or take it to my grave, but that's it."

"Pass it on to your son? And you honestly believe that someone would marry a man who could have saved countless lives but chose not to?"

"She wouldn't know," he said sadly, still not looking at Hermione.

"You're unbelievable, Malfoy!"

"Malfoy?"

"Yes, _Malfoy_! That's what you are, aren't you? A pureblood, mudblood hating, Malfoy! Well, _I_ know that you know, and you can take it to your grave, but I will make sure no witch ever marries someone like you!"

"You were supposed to be that witch," he said quietly.

"Seriously?" she shouted. "You're going to start _that_ now? Fine, Malfoy, yes I was supposed to be that witch, or at least _I_ thought that I was supposed to be that witch, but you and your mother made it very clear that a mudblood would never become a Malfoy."

"Don't call yourself that."

"That's what I am, Malfoy! You said it yourself!" Hermione was screaming so loud, that she was thankful she had casted _muffliato_ on the west wing.

"Don't call me Malfoy, please? Not you."

Hermione studied Draco for awhile. She had thought she knew him when they were dating, but it turned out that she did not. Sitting here, however, she saw the vulnerable Draco that she used to know, and she could see that he was in pain. "Draco," she said calmly, sitting on the arm of his chair and placing her hand on his shoulder. "I know who you are, the _real_ you. I don't care about the façade you put on for your friends and your parents. Please, help me."

"My father…"

"Is in Azkaban, and he will never know you told. I won't even tell the Order how I found out, I just want to help my friends." She grabbed his hand and held it between hers. "Will you please help me?"

 **Draco Malfoy – Present Day**

 **January 22, 2000**

It hurt Draco to see the pain in her eyes, but it also brought comfort to have her so close to him. He fingered her hands as she held onto his, remembering all those times that he used to hold her close. He knew that he was falling right into her game, yet he couldn't seem to stop himself; being so close to her felt way too good. Perhaps though, he could use the situation to his advantage. "Hermione, all I have is my word. Even if my father isn't around anymore, it's still my word."

"I understand, but sometimes we need to do things we don't like…"

"For the greater good?"

"Well, I was going to say as long as the end justifies the means, but yes, for the greater good. There _is_ such a thing as the greater good, you know, Grindelwald just doesn't understand the proper meaning of it."

"I truly don't know all of it; my father only gave me some details."

"That doesn't matter; whatever you do know can still help." When Draco didn't reply, Hermione tried a different tactic. "I wish I had some incentive to give you, other than the fact that it's the right thing to do. I can't promise that your hearing will turn out the way you would like and I can't find a way to release your father. There isn't much I can offer you in return for helping me."

 _Oh, there is plenty you can offer,_ Draco thought to himself. To her, however, he said something else. "Ten questions."

"What?" she asked, looking confused.

"In return for me telling you what you want, I get to ask you ten questions. _Any_ ten questions that I want, and you _have_ to be honest, no matter what."

"You can ask me _one_ question, and I will answer truthfully," she responded.

"I'm betraying my father and all I get is one question?"

"Fine, two."

"You've got to do better than that."

"Two is very fair, Draco, considering they are open-ended."

"I'll go to eight, but that's it." Draco watched her weigh out her options; he knew he had her.

"Five, but they have to be yes or no questions," she said, arms folded across her chest.

"Deal!" he said, eager to find out some things that he had been wondering.

"Okay, you first. Tell me what you know."

Draco sighed. "Okay, so the enchantment to remove the spell is simply the original spell backwards."

Hermione nodded. "That I know."

"How?"

But she shook her head. "Just like I won't reveal to anyone the information I get from you, I won't reveal the information I get from elsewhere, either."

Draco nodded in understanding. "So, I guess you know how the spell works?"

"I have an idea. It seems as though the soul is gone from the body and in order to restore it, I need to bring the body to the soul and mutter the counter-course."

"You're on the right track. It isn't really a soul, though. Our bodies work as vessels but that's it. Our _person_ is what is inside of us. When the spell is cast, it removes our person and only leaves behind our vessel."

"Its left behind its shell."

"Pretty much."

"What happens if the body gets damaged while the _person_ isn't inhabiting it?"

"Nothing. See, that's the beauty of the spell. The spell wasn't created to trick people into thinking they were dead, it was created to help wizards who were in a deathly situation. All they had to do was cast the spell on themselves and regardless of whatever was about to kill them, won't succeed. Once the threat was gone, someone, usually a family member since the spell is kept within a family, will come and recover your vessel and take it back to your person."

"So Crabbe casted the spell on himself before he fell and that's how he survived."

Draco nodded. "I didn't know about the spell at the time so I really thought that he was dead. My guess is that Goyle told Crabbe's father and he rescued him."

"But how? The room was destroyed."

"I don't know. I never asked him so that I don't give away the fact that I know about the spell."

"Makes sense," said Hermione. "So where are the _persons_ being kept?"

At this, Draco frowned. "I truly don't know. My father didn't get a chance to tell me; as he was filling me in, a guard came and my time with him was up. I swear it's the truth!"

Hermione studied his face for a long time. "I believe you," she finally said. "This does confirm my theory though, and I think I know what I have to do next. Thank you so much, Draco!"

She made to leave, but Draco called out to her. "Where are you going? My five questions?"

"Fine," she said, sulking. She sat on the chair opposite him, and folded her arms across her chest.

"Maybe you should take some Veritaserum, to ensure you're being honest."

"I've given you my word, Draco, and I've trusted you. Now it's your turn to trust me." She rolled her eyes when he didn't respond and said, "I swear on my magic." There was something powerful when a witch or wizard swore on their magic, and so, smiling, Draco took his seat and prepared his first question.

"Have you ever had sex with anyone?" he almost blurted out.

"Seriously? _That's_ your first question?"

"I believe you are to respond with either a yes or a no, Ms. Granger."

"No," she sighed, annoyed with the questions already.

"No? So you've never had sex with Krum?"

"Is that your second question?"

"NO!" he shouted. He thought his next question through carefully. Had she not slept with him because she didn't want to have sex with _anyone_ or because she didn't like him as much as she was letting on? He needed to test his theory, and so he asked, "Do you plan on living here with Krum forever?"

"No," she said. Seeing his face, she added, "as kind as Viktor has been, I would prefer to have my _own_ place, with the person I am dating, of course."

"Of course," Draco said, smiling. He knew what she was trying to imply, but he picked up on the fact that she had said _person she was dating_ , instead of "Viktor Krum." Still, he had to be sure… "Do you love Viktor Krum?"

Hermione drew in her breath. After a really long time, she whispered, "No."

Breathing heavily, Draco slowly approached her chair and asked, "Do you still love me?"

Barely audible, causing Draco to lean in very close, she said, "Yes."

His heart racing, Draco asked his fifth and final question: "Will you give me another chance?"

Hermione's eyes were watering. "I… I…" he reached for her hand, but she quickly pulled away. "I have to go," she said hastily, and ran out of the room as fast as she could.

 **Harry Potter – Present Day**

 **January 23, 2000**

Tonight's Order meeting was just about to start, when Harry saw a frantic Hermione shuffle in. "Am I late?" she asked, coming up to him.

"No, we're just about to start, though. Is everything alright?"

"I didn't get much sleep; I have a lead on the Abracadabra curse."

"Really?" Harry asked excitedly.

"Yes, I may have an answer by tomorrow."

"That's great, Hermione! Until tomorrow, then." He walked away from her and nodded to Kingsley, indicating that it was time to commence the meeting.

"Welcome, everyone," Kingsley said, addressing the Order members in the room. "Since our last meeting, I am happy to announce two positive pieces of news. The first is that there have been no attacks on the magical world or the muggles world, in over a week." At this, everyone in the room had clapped and cheered. Despite Harry not showing up as planned with Grindelwald, the violence had been considerably low. "The second piece of news is that St. Mungo's has finally been restored and we can safely move the patients back."

"Will they be safe there?" Neville asked right away, thinking of his parents.

"As safe as anywhere," Kingsley answered. "No place can ever be fully secure, but security will be much tighter and the Auror department is involved now, so there will be constant Aurors on duty."

"Not to mention the Order, as well," Harry reassured him.

"Now, Mr. Potter and I have decided that the best time to start transferring patients back to the hospital would be during the upcoming trials."

"Why is that, Minister?" asked Molly.

"There is a potential that some, if not all of Grindelwald's supporters are on the list being tried. Since they know that we do not know who they are, they will turn up for their regulatory review hearing, thus having to leave St. Mungo's alone. Now, Minerva and Poppy will take care of things on their end at Hogwarts, while myself and Healer Martus will look after things at the hospital. We need this transfer to go smoothly." Kingsley nodded towards McGonagall, letting her know that she could now take the floor.

"On the day of transport, I will be creating a small circle within the Hospital Wing that will allow for apparition inside and outside of the castle. Similar to what we do when we prepare apparition lessons, the circle will only be wide enough to permit three people at a time. Once the transfer is complete, I shall close it up again for the safety of the students."

"Terrific plan, Minerva."

"Thank you, Arthur. Now I know many of you will have guard duty, and some of you will be on the review board, but I would require the rest of you to help me apparate the patients back and forth."

"No problem," said Angelina.

"Absolutely," said Charlie.

"Minerva, as Minister of Magic, I must request that two Aurors be present as well, to guard the temporary apparition point."

"Of course, Minister."

Kingsley nodded his thanks. "There isn't much to say other than that, I suppose. Until next meeting, stay sharp."

"Harry," came Hermione's voice, hurrying over to him at the end of the meeting. She looked around to make sure nobody was listening before speaking. "Draco gave me plenty of intel on the spell," she told him. "But I need to talk to Crabbe to find out one more thing, then I should be able to wake them all up!"

"You're a brilliant witch, Hermione! Let's go ask McGonagall." Harry and Hermione made their way over to McGonagall who, thankfully, was alone. "Professor, I need to ask you something."

"Yes, Potter?"

"We need to do something at Hogwarts, but that's all I can really say."

"Well, doesn't this sound oddly familiar," she said sarcastically. "Both of you, I presume?"

"Just me," said Hermione quickly. Harry gave her a look but said nothing; he trusted that she knew what she was doing.

"And do you wish to tell me what you're looking for _this_ time?"

"Sorry, Professor," said Hermione.

"You were right before, I must trust that you are right again. When do you require entry, Ms. Granger?"

"After the hearing, please."

"Very well, arrive at the hospital wing first, then. It will look as if you were one of those helping us transfer the patients."

"Thank you, Professor."

"Yeah, thanks." Harry turned to Hermione once McGonagall was gone. "You sure you know what you're doing?" he asked her.

"No, but I'm the only one who can do this."

 **Remus Lupin – The Past**

 **October 31, 1981**

It had taken a very long for Remus to come to terms with that had happened. When he first arrived at James and Lily's, he couldn't walk through the front door for nearly an hour. Finally finding the courage to walk in, he never could have been prepared for what he was going to see. Just inside of the front door, laid James Potter, one of his very best friends. From the scene in front of him, he could only assume that James had tried to hold off Voldemort while Lily ran with Harry. He bent down and closed his friend's eyelids, spilling tears as he did so. Remus had been on his way to see Sirius, actually, when he had received Dumbledore's owl of what had happened. He had explained that Harry was alive and taken to a safe place, but that James and Lily hadn't made it. He also informed Remus that he made it so that nobody would come to the house and it was his, Remus', responsibility to arrange the burial for the Potters. Prior to coming to the house, Remus stopped at the small cemetery outside of the church at Godric's Hollow, and after much contemplation, secured to graves side by side for Lily and James. Walking away from his dearest friend, Remus headed upstairs carefully (as half of the floor was gone), and turned into Harry's nursery. The entire room was destroyed. Remus fell to his knees in shock, wondering how a small child like Harry had survived this. He was extraordinarily pleased, of course, but stunned nonetheless. That was when his eyes fell upon Lily, and he could no longer control his emotions. Laying neatly on the ground, Lily looked almost as if she were asleep. Knowing the truth, however, Remus was horrified to see her so helpless and so… _Gone._ Her red hair was sprawled around her head that had he not known better, he would have assumed it to be blood. Her hair was the only thing that looked out of place however; the rest of her looked much too peaceful. There was no way Lily had fallen into this position, but surely Voldemort didn't reposition her. Remus instantly drew his wand, knowing that someone had been in the house. Shaking his head moments later, however, he pocketed his wand once more. Dumbledore had said that someone had come to collect Harry; clearly they were unable to just leave poor Lily in a heap on the ground. After what felt like hours, Remus was finally able to start pulling himself together, and proceeded to prepare his friends for their final resting place.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Sorry about the delay in posting this week, but I had assumed that it was going to be a busy week which is why I gave you two chapters back to back last weekend. If this upcoming week looks busy (I'll take a look at my schedule) I'll give you an extra chapter tomorrow to make up for it!

So, this chapter answered some questions.. Draco _finally_ spoke, and we also found out where Hermione's heart lies.

The next chapter is a HUGE chapter in terms of importance. You will:

1\. Find out something important about the countercurse

2\. Meet a new character that is going to have quite the impact on this story (and will tie in to one of Rowling's storylines)

3\. Have an answer to something never touched upon by Rowling. - What do I mean by this? JK Rowling has informed us through Pottermore that there is something called the Sacred Twenty-Eight. I take this information and answer many questions about it. It was something I was always curious about and so I decided to come up with my own answers!

Going off of point number 3, if there is something you want to know about, let me know and I will incorporate it for you!

Thanks as always, and please keep reviewing!

(Oh, Ginny lovers, what I had meant was that her big scene may not be for another 10-15 chapters; but you will still hear about her before that!)


	31. The Sacred Twenty-Eight

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Thirty-One: The Sacred Twenty-Eight**

 **Harry Potter – Present Day**

 **February 2, 2000**

Harry stood next to Ron and Hermione at the front of the courtroom, in what he felt was an incredibly stupid robe. "Why do I have to wear this thing?" he asked aloud.

"It's part of the tradition," Hermione whispered. "The Sacred Twenty-Eight go back to the beginning of magic. And don't let anyone hear you mock it, either!"

"Why? I'm with Harry! It's about bloody time they updated these things!"

"Quiet, Ron! There's already going to be an uproar having you both acting as head of chairs; you don't need to make matters worse!"

"Why is it going to be a problem, anyway?" asked Ron.

"Seriously? You're a pureblood! You should know these things!"

"Enlighten me."

Hermione rolled her eyes, but continued, nonetheless. "You're both representing houses that you don't belong to by blood. Even spouses are often not accepted because they don't contain the sacred blood."

"Yeah, but there are no more Blacks out there, why don't they just remove the seat, then?"

"Because it's incredibly difficult," said Hermione. "Since the beginning of our time, only two seats have ever been removed, and for one of them, the process took thirty-three years before it finally happened."

"There used to be thirty?" asked Ron.

Hermione nodded. "The Sacred Thirty. These houses are sacred because they alone are the purest of blood. Every other wizarding name had somehow been linked to a muggle. Removing a name from the list can be detrimental if they aren't absolutely positive that nobody of that blood still exists. Purebloods take the Sacred Twenty-eight very seriously; it is one of the reasons why they push so hard for heirs, and male heirs at that."

"So, females aren't allowed to take a seat?" Harry asked her.

"They are, but it's frowned upon, and it's usually only temporary. Look at Andromeda, for example; she was only taking the seat temporarily until Teddy became of age."

"Mr. Potter, Ms. Granger, Mr. Weasley," came Kingsley's voice, nodding to them all. "Shall we begin?"

Harry nodded and took his place at the head of the courtroom. "Since these hearings are being heard by the Dobwig Association, as head of the Association, it is my responsibility to conduct them. However, since I will be taking my seat among you all," -he said this, indicating towards the Sacred Twenty-eight's designated area- "I have asked Hermione Granger to conduct the hearings, as she is also a member of The Dobwig Association." Harry said no more as he took his seat at the "Black" chair, but he couldn't help noticing all the whispers of distaste. Clearly, these pureblood fascists were not okay with a muggle-born running the hearings. Nevertheless, Hermione embraced her role, and commenced the hearings. She addressed each head of chair individually, and carefully followed the very ancient and sacred protocol.

"Who represents the House of Abbott?"

A chubby, red-bearded man stood up and spoke. "Direct descendant of the first Abbott, I, Charles Abbott, represent the House of Abbott."

"Who represents the House of Avery?"

This time, it was a skinny, black-haired girl who stood. "Nikolai Avery, direct descendant of the first Avery, is standing trial here today, therefore I, Galea Avery, cousin to Nikolai, represent the House of Avery."

"Who represents the House of Black?"

This time, it was Harry who stood, and recited the lines that he had rehearsed with Hermione earlier: "Sirius Black, the last direct descendant of the first Black, has borne no heir, and therefore I, Harry Potter, Godson to Sirius, represent the House of Black."

"Who represents the House of Bulstrode?" And so, it went on. One by one the representatives stood and explained their connection to the name they represented. A few faces he recognized, such as Neville's grandmother representing the Longbottom House, Kingsley representing his own House (Shacklebolt), the wand maker, Mr. Ollivander, for House Ollivander, and, of course, Arthur Weasley for House Weasley. There were times when angry murmurs could be heard, like when the House of Malfoy was represented, for example. "Who represents the House of Malfoy?" Hermione had asked.

Reluctantly, Ron stood up and began to speak. "Lucius, Narcissa, and Draco Malfoy, the last direct descendants of the first Malfoy, have been deemed legally unable to represent their House, and, therefore, Andromeda Tonks, sister to Narcissa, is next in line, however, due to ill health, the responsibility is passed on to Teddy Lupin, her grandson, however, due to being underage, it is passed on to Harry Potter, his Godfather, however, currently representing another House and having no heirs of his own, I, Ronald Weasley, selected by Harry Potter, represent the House of Malfoy." There had been angry hisses and whispered threats said after this, but Hermione had ignored them and continued on. The number of Death Eaters that had a seat on the Sacred Twenty-eight infuriated Harry. It seemed as though when recruiting, Voldemort had specifically selected these houses. Of course he would have, though; they were, after all, the purest blood of them all. The one House that bothered Harry the most, however, had been the House of Gaunt.

"Who represents the House of Gaunt?" Hermione had asked.

A young man (who, in Harry's opinion, resembled the Tom Riddle that came out of the diary in his second year), stood up and began to speak. "Marvolo Gaunt, the last direct descendant of the House of Gaunt, has borne no living heir, therefore I, Ralph Daniels, great-grandson to Marvolo's sister, Meredith Gaunt, represent the House of Gaunt."

At the end of the introductions, Hermione faced the Wizengamot sitting opposite of the Sacred Twenty-eight and spoke directly to them. "Today, it is your responsibility to conclude if the witches and wizards on trial today are found guilty. Although the Sacred Twenty-eight are also present today, the responsibility relies solely on you. We will now commence with the first trial." A total of sixteen people had been scheduled to be seen today, and all had appeared, except for Pius Thicknesse. Although the Wizengamot had the final say in the hearings, they all turned to see what the Sacred Twenty-eight had wanted first, and the Wizengamot always voted with the majority. "This is the last call for Pius Thicknesse." When nobody walked forward, Hermione turned to the Auror that was present. "Please inform your department that Pius Thicknesse is officially wanted for questioning by The Dobwig Association and, by extension, the Ministry of Magic." The auror nodded towards her and left. She then turned to the rest of the courtroom. "This concludes the matters for today." Harry got up immediately and quickly made his way towards her, eager for some answers to the new questions that had arise.

 **Ron Weasley – Present Day**

 **February 2, 2000**

Ron joined his friends Harry and Hermione at the head of the courtroom, where Hermione was collecting all of the paperwork used in the trials. "Well, that was a bloody waste of time," Ron said to them.

"No it wasn't!" said Hermione, looking at him as if he had not paid attention.

"What do you mean?" asked Ron bewildered. "The majority of them had alibis the day that Essa died."

"Exactly!" Hermione said, smiling. "Don't you see, Ron?" she said, when she realized that he wasn't catching on. "People don't remember what they do on an ordinary day. The day Essa died should not have had any significance to these people if they weren't involved!"

"And?"

Hermione rolled her eyes, but she explained further. "I asked each of them where they were on five different days. One of those days was the St. Mungo's attack and that was all over the Daily Prophet, so everyone made sure they had an alibi that day."

"Right…"

"I mentioned three dates that have no meaning to us or them, so of course, they didn't remember what they had done on those days."

"Why didn't they remember?"

"What did you do last Thursday, Ron?"

"I don't know."

"Exactly! So _everyone_ shouldn't have had an alibi for the three random dates, as well as the day that Essa died since they shouldn't know what took place that day."

"But that means those that did have a rehearsed alibi on that day must have known about it…" said Harry, catching on.

"Exactly!" said Hermione smiling.

"Hermione, you're brilliant!"

"So, who had an alibi that day?" asked Ron.

"I wrote them down," she said, digging through her parchments. "There's six," she said, handing the list to Harry.

"Ah, if it isn't The Dobwig Association," came a deep voice from behind them.

Ron spun around and saw Nikolai Avery standing behind them. "Yeah, we're The Dobwig Association," said Ron, as Harry quickly hid the sheet of parchment in his robes. "Can we help you?" he asked, rather rudely.

"Yes, as a matter of fact, you can, Weasley. Since this foolish hearing is over with, and I, like everyone else, was found _not_ guilty by the Wizengamot, I wish to have my House seat returned to me."

"Since you are not guilty, as you have pointed out," answered Hermione, "the House seat of Avery is rightfully yours."

"Very good. Then I wish to put forward a motion and ask for it to be seen immediately."

"You must fill out the proper applications and submit them to the Wizengamot. However, perhaps the Dobwig Association could help you?"

"I doubt that very much. You see, I am requesting that the House of Black be removed from the Sacred Twenty-eight, or should I say, Twenty-seven."

"What? Why?" asked Harry.

"You said it yourself, Mr. Potter. The last descendant to House Black is dead."

"You must submit your request to the Wizengamot," Hermione said knowledgably, and before Ron or Harry could start an argument.

"I shall do that right now, then. Soon we will have this place in order again, where a mud- I mean _muggleborn_ does not conduct a hearing."

Ron cracked his knuckles, but Hermione gently put her hand on him to make him stop. "I am just as much a witch as you are a wizard," she said confidently to Avery.

"We shall see," was all Avery had said as he swiftly exited the courtroom.

"The nerve of him!" Ron started, but Hermione cut him off.

"That doesn't matter, Ron. We have more pressing issues to deal with."

"We need the Black seat, Hermione, can he do that?" asked Harry.

"Well, he can try. But as I told you before, it can take several years to prove that the bloodline is dead."

"But it is dead; Sirius is gone," said Ron, not realizing that his words still hurt Harry.

"I'll deal with it when the time comes."

"If he gets rid of house Black, then we should get rid of house Malfoy, too," said Ron.

"You can't, Ron," said Hermione. "If Draco were to have a child, the chair would become his or hers once they come of age. The Malfoy bloodline isn't dead, it just doesn't have eligible representatives at the moment. Enough about this, though, I have to get to Hogwarts; I will deal with this later. Harry, do you have the map?" Hermione took the map from Harry and headed off.

"Why is she going to Hogwarts with the map?" Ron asked him.

"She's going to help McGonagall with the patient transfer; the map is to ensure that nobody is lurking about." Harry was staring at someone, and Ron turned to see who it was.

"Who is that Daniels person?" Ron asked, after realizing who Harry was staring at.

"No idea, but I'm pretty sure Dumbledore would have told me if Voldemort had any living relatives."

"Let's go find out if he's lying," said Ron, as he made his way over to the mysterious man.

"Ralph Daniels?" asked Harry, as he approached the man. "My name is Harry Potter, and this is Ron Weasley. We are from the Dobwig Association and would like to ask you a few questions."

The man studied Harry for awhile before he responded. "I do not believe you have the power to apprehend me, Mr. Potter. So I will be on my way."

"I do not have the power to apprehend you, but I have the power to order the Aurors to do so. So either you answer my questions or I'll have you arrested."

"On what grounds?"

"Do you want to find out?" asked Ron angrily.

The man smiled. "I have nothing to hide; I merely just have somewhere to be."

"If you're arrested, you aren't going anywhere," said Ron.

The man smiled again. "Shall we book an appointment to have a proper meeting in your office, Mr. Potter? Say, noon tomorrow?"

Reluctantly, Harry nodded. "Noon, tomorrow, or I'll have the Aurors after you."

"No need for that." The man nodded to the both of them and left the courtroom.

"Think he'll show?" asked Ron.

"I guess we'll find out tomorrow."

 **Hermione Granger – Present Day**

 **February 2, 2000**

Hermione found an empty corridor near the hospital wing and pulled open the map. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," she said. Instantly, the map revealed all of Hogwarts and where everyone within the castle was located. She glanced at the hospital wing again, to ensure that nobody had followed her out. When she arrived at Hogwarts, she went straight there to ensure that many people saw her so that if she is caught somewhere in the castle, she would have a good reason to be there. Confirming that she was in the clear, she scanned the map in search of the real reason she had come to the castle. It didn't take her long to find the person that she was looking for, and ironically, they were standing next to the now non-existent room of requirement. Smiling, Hermione whispered, "mischief managed," put the map away, and headed towards her destination. "Reminiscing of the day you died, Crabbe?" asked Hermione, when she reached her destination and encountered the person that she had come looking for.

"What are you doing here?" he asked her, nearly jumping when he had heard her voice.

"Funny, I was going to ask you the same thing."

"Get out of my way, mudblood." Crabbe brushed passed her, but she turned around and continued to speak to him.

"You do realize that calling me a mudblood doesn't bother me at all, right? What _does_ bother me, however, is the fact that you weren't at the Ministry today."

"Why would I be at the Ministry?"

"There were trials today for past Death Eaters."

"I wasn't summoned to go." Then, as an afterthought he added, "I'm not a Death Eater."

"You're right, you weren't summoned to go," she responded, ignoring his last comment. "Come to think of it, you were never questioned after Voldemort fell, either."

"So what?"

"You, Malfoy, and Goyle were _all_ seen with your parents next to Voldemort. Regardless if you were innocent or not, you should have been questioned. Malfoy and Goyle were questioned, but for some reason, Crabbe, you weren't. How is that? How could the Ministry possibly have looked that over?" Crabbe drew his wand on her, but she just laughed. "One other person knows I'm here and if you do anything to me, I promise you that you'll be next to your father in Azkaban."

After what looked like a lot of thought, Crabbe finally lowered his wand. "Go away," he said, as he started to walk away, but Hermione called him back.

"I'm not finished with this conversation!"

"What do you want?"

"Let's start with how you're alive, shall we?"

"I survived the fall," he said. Clearly, that line had been rehearsed.

"Don't give me that rubbish, Crabbe! I know you used the _Abracadabra_ spell, and I know that you were restored." The look on his face was confirmation enough for her.

"I'm not telling you anything!"

"How about we make a deal? Not that you _deserve_ one, but I'm a fair witch."

"I said I'm not telling you anything!"

"You don't have a choice, Crabbe! You tell me what I want to know, and I don't show the Ministry that small error where your name never made it on the list! Do not forget where I work; the Dobwig Association leads all the Voldemort supporter trials and I promise you I will get you a seat right beside your father in Azkaban."

"You can't prove anything," he said, but there was fear in his voice.

"Try me. You know what else I can do? Have your father receive a kiss from a certain guard."

"Do not threaten my father!" he screamed, wand out and pointed at her again.

Hermione knew better than to push him too far; she raised her hands and spoke calmly and carefully. "If you tell me where I have to bring the bodies to have them restored, I will make sure that the dementors do not touch your father. You have my word."

"What good is the word of a mudblood?"

"Everyone somehow has over looked your name, Crabbe. If you hurt me, you'll be added to that list. You've escaped it once, I do not recommend tempting your fate a second time. Tell me where to take them, and I promise you I'll leave here as if this conversation never happened. You stay off the list, your father keeps his soul, and nobody knows that you and I even talked."

"If you even breathe my name or my father's name to _anyone_ ," he said, lowering his wand but staring at her with a murderous glare, "I will kill you." He turned and headed to the end of the hall, but just before he turned the corner, he said, "It's at the Ministry, and that's all I'm saying."

 **George Weasley – The Past**

 **July 17, 1998**

George sat at the desk in the back of the shop, passing a small black box back and forth in his hands. It had been about two and a half months since he lost Fred, and _finally_ , he had agreed to open the shop again. He knew it was what Fred would have wanted, despite George not wanting to go on without his brother. "Hey, George," came Lee Jordan's voice as he entered the back room. "Everything's ready to go and there's a large crowd outside; should we open up?" George sighed but did not answer his friend. Finally, he placed the black box in a safe he had in the back, locked it up, and turned to Lee.

"Open the door; I'll be out shortly." He stood in front of a nearby mirror and started to straighten out his robes, when he heard someone walking down the stairs that lead to his flat above the shop. "Hey, you're awake," said George, turning to look at the woman approaching him. Her long plait was swishing behind her as she descended into the back room, throwing her travelling cloak over her shoulders. "Oh, you're leaving?"

"I'm in the same robes as yesterday; I feel I should change." She made to leave but George called her back.

"Angelina, wait."

She turned and offered him a kind smile. "It's not that I didn't enjoy last night, George, I really did, it's just that…"

"Fred," George choked.

"Fred," she nodded in agreement.

George ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. "Fred and I had made a pact before he di- before he left," he began. "It was that no matter what, you would be taken care of. Angelina, Fred wasn't the only one who cared for you," he lied. He did think Angelina was a remarkable witch, but he had never loved her like Fred did. Still, he had made a promise to his brother, and it was one that he intended on keeping.

"You and Fred both-?"

George nodded. "He just beat me to the punch," he joked.

"Oh," was all Angelina could say.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"You're not," she said. "When I came by yesterday, it was supposed to be as your friend. When we, well, _you know_ , I don't know how it got there and I didn't expect to feel anything for you, but I did." A small tear escaped from her eyes. "I just feel so horrible; Fred hasn't even been gone for three months yet and I'm laying with his twin brother!"

"Fred would be okay with it," he said. "Besides, I'm obviously much better in bed than he is."

Angelina laughed. "Funny, he had said that he was much better than you."

"I'm glad I was a topic in the bedroom!"

Angelina laughed again. "Not in the bedroom, but yes, you are a constant topic. Fred loved you, George; more than anyone."

"I know," whispered George. Angelina made to leave, but George called her back. "Stay. Please?"

She walked over to him and kissed him on the cheek. "I need to go change my robes, but I'll return." She saw the grin spread on his face and she frowned. "I don't know how I feel about this, George."

"We'll take it day by day; we will figure it out. Until then, nobody needs to know." She nodded her thanks, and left. George walked back to his safe to retrieve the box.

"I'll take care of her, Freddie," he whispered to the box. "I promise." He locked up the safe again and stood up, facing the doorway to the shop. He took a deep breath and headed into the store; it was time for him to live again.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** So, that chapter was something I wanted to do because I think that the Sacred Twenty-Eight is something that should have been brought up in the novels as JK made it a real thing.

Crabbe spoke! We are getting closer and closer to freeing Ginny and gang from their current fate!

Reviews: First, thank you to the kind reviewer who picked up on an error; I am surprised there aren't more considering the fact that my child does not allow me to sleep! All fixed, thanks again! Second, thanks to the other reviewers; I truly do enjoy reading them and get really excited when I get an email notifying me of a new review!

Over 8000 views, thank you! I hope I am not disappointing anyone!

The next chapter - I don't want to say too much but you can be sure that Crabbe's information will be discussed in detail.

By the way, thoughts on the Gaunt descendant? My advice: Keep an eye on him!

Thanks as always!


	32. Devising a Plan

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Thirty-Two: Devising a Plan**

 **Harry Potter – Present Day**

 **February 3, 2000**

Harry arrived at his office at the Dobwig Association at eleven o'clock and spent the first fifteen minutes pacing. Ralph Daniels was supposed to be meeting with him at noon and Harry was concerned that he would not show up. He had so many questions for this unknown man, the most important one concerning his connection to Voldemort. How had nobody have heard of him before, and how come he had never attended a previous meeting involving the Sacred Twenty-eight? According to records that Harry had pulled, the Gaunt seat had not been filled for several years. Not even Tom Riddle had filled it prior to becoming Voldemort, as he did not wish for many to know that he was related to the Gaunts.

"Harry, are you alone?" came Hermione's hurried voice. She was out of breath when she reached his office.

"Yeah, why? What's wrong?" Hermione slammed Harry's door shut and casted a _Muffliato_ spell for good measure.

"Harry! I've figured it out!" she screamed with excitement.

"Figured what out?"

"The counter-curse!" she grabbed a stitch in her side and took several minutes to catch her breath (with Harry waiting impatiently), before she continued. "We have to bring their bodies here, to the Ministry, and re-unite their _persons_ with their bodies, using the counter-curse that Helen told us about."

"Their persons? What?" Harry looked at Hermione oddly. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" she said angrily. "Listen! Their souls, their insides, whatever you want to call it, have been removed from their bodies. To get them back, we need to bring their bodies to their person! _Their souls_ ," she added, rolling her eyes when Harry looked confused again. "Anyway, they're hidden here, at the Ministry, all we have to do is find them!"

"How do you know they're here?"

"Draco and Crabbe told me, _finally,_ but at least we know now."

"Where in the Ministry?"

"I don't know, and I don't think they'll tell me, but at least we've pinpointed the location. With the amount of Order members that we have who work here, we are bound to find it!"

Harry thought in silence for awhile, taking in everything Hermione had told him. "It would have to be well hidden, it's not going to be just anywhere, so we can rule a lot of departments out."

"The Auror Department?"

"I doubt it; I've been in there loads of times, and I've never seen anything. What would the container or whatever it is that is holding these souls-"

" _Persons-_ "

"Whatever! What would it look like?"

"I have know idea," Hermione said frowning.

"It's got to be in the Department of Mysteries; what other kind of department would be able to hide something like that?"

"Yes, I think you're right. I'll go and find Kingsley now; perhaps he can find a way to let me in there."

"Let me know as soon as you know anything. I'll come and join you as soon as I can." It wasn't long after Hermione had left that Harry had another witch enter his office.

"Knock knock!" came the excruciatingly annoying voice of Rita Skeeter.

"Get out!" Harry spat at her; he had no interest in dealing with her today.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," she said smiling.

"And why not?"

"Because she is here as my guest," answered Ralph Daniels, as he, too, entered Harry's office.

"We have a private meeting," Harry said to Ralph. "I have not authorized for her to be here."

"Mr. Potter, this is a voluntary meeting; I have not been officially summoned to meet with you and you do not have grounds to do so, so you should be pleased that I have agreed to meet with you of my own accord."

"Why do you need her to be present for this _voluntary_ meeting?" Harry asked, trying but failing to mask the anger in his voice.

"For accuracy, is all. I do not wish for anything to be said by you to the wizarding world that you claim to have been said by me. Due to your status, you of course would be believed and I simply cannot have that, can I?"

"Why would I lie?"

"I never said you would, Mr. Potter, but I also know better than to trust a man who hates my family's bloodline, regardless if it is something I can control or not. Now, shall we begin _with_ Rita's presence, or shall I see myself out?" Defeated, Harry gestured to two chairs in front of his desk, and both Ralph and Rita took a seat. "Ready, Ms. Skeeter?" Ralph asked.

"Of course!" Rita answered excitedly, her Quick-Quotes quill already tip down onto a fresh piece of parchment, waiting for the meeting to begin.

Sighing, Harry looked at Ralph and did his best to try and ignore Rita and her quill. "Mr. Daniels, you claim to be a descendant from the house of Gaunt; could you explain how?"

"Of course, Mr. Potter. I assume you know the story of Tom Riddle's parentage?"

Harry noted that he referred to Voldemort as "Tom Riddle"; very few people chose to call him that. "Let's assume that I do not," Harry answered.

"Very well, then. Well, Tom's father was a muggle, also named Tom, but his mother was a witch by the name of Merope Gaunt. Merope had one brother by the name of Morfin, who had died before he could bear any heirs. Tom was Merope's only child and since he also bore no children, then that left Merope and Morfin's father: Marvolo."

"Marvolo had more children?" Harry asked.

"No, I'm sorry to say that he did not. But he did in fact, have a sister that very few knew about. That sister was my great-grandmother, Meredith Gaunt." Harry made to reach for his quill, but Ralph stopped him. "I request that you do not take any notes, Mr. Potter. Should you need a copy of our discussion, Ms. Skeeter can provide one, can't you, Ms. Skeeter?"

"Gladly," she said, smiling.

"Why can't I take my own notes?" Harry asked, almost growling.

"Because I have asked you not to. This is voluntary, remember? Shall I continue?" Agitated, Harry withdrew his hand from his quill, and nodded to Ralph to continue. "Now then, as I am sure you have probably figured out by now, Meredith married a wizard with the surname Daniels, and together gave birth to my grandfather, who then with my grandmother gave birth to my father, who finally, along with my mother, gave birth to me. So, as you can see, Mr. Potter, I am a rightful descendant to the house of Gaunt and have therefore resumed my seat at the Sacred Twenty-Eight."

"Why have you only resumed it now, after so many years of absence?"

"I thought that answer to be obvious, Mr. Potter. The chair rightfully belonged to my dear cousin, Tom, so it did not pass on to me until his death a year and a half ago."

"And why not take the seat in the last year and a half?"

"Only a fool would admit to being related to the most notorious wizard of the time, wouldn't you agree?"

"But you've admitted to it now."

"Now there is a proper infrastructure in place to ensure that fair trials are provided and only to those who have proven to require one, isn't that what your department does? Since these new laws have been put into effect, and I know that there would be absolutely no grounds to have me arrested, I knew it was safe to resurface once more."

"I'm going to ask you a few questions about your whereabouts," Harry said, not trusting the man sitting across from him. "I would ask that you answer truthfully."

"Ah, Mr. Potter, I aplogise, but although I have no problem explaining my genealogy to you, I did not agree to come here and be interrogated. I think that concludes our meeting then, wouldn't you agree, Ms. Skeeter?"

"Yes, absolutely."

"Actually, _I'm_ not done," said Harry, standing as Ralph did the same.

"Voluntary, remember, Mr. Potter? Good day to you."

"Rita, those notes!" Harry yelled at her, realizing that there was nothing else he could do.

"Of course!" she said, giggling. She tapped the parchment in her hand and produced a second copy which she then placed face down on his desk. "Have a nice day!" she said, following Ralph out of the office. As though Harry could not have been any more frustrated, he picked up the parchment to review the ancestry once more, only to determine that the parchment that she had left for him was blank.

 **Hermione Granger – Present Day**

 **February 3, 2000**

"Minister, you _must_ let us into the Department of Mysteries; it's the only place where it can be!"

"Ms. Granger, believe me when I say that I am truly pleased with the new information, but as Minister, I cannot just _let_ you in there! Only an Unspeakable may enter as you very well know. As Minister, even I cannot!"

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Hermione asked angrily. "Our friends are laying dead at Headquarters and the solution is here at the Ministry!"

"Use your galleon and send for Ms. Lovegood; I believe I do have a solution that doesn't break any rules."

"Fine." Hermione couldn't possibly see how Luna could get her into the Department of Mysteries, but if Kingsley had a plan then she needed to trust him. It wasn't very long at all before Luna came strolling into the Minister's office.

"Hello, Minister, hello, Hermione, lovely day!"

"Luna! You got here awfully fast!"

"Yes, when I received your message I was already on my way here, actually. The Daily Prophet has yet to print my article on Nargles and I've come to find out why. It's incredibly important that everyone knows what they are capable of; the Quibbler cannot be the only magazine producing the information."

Hermione shared a look with the Minister before turning to Luna. "I hope you're successful with that, Luna," she said. "But we have other matters to discuss right now."

"Of course!" she said happily. "How can I help?"

"We need to get into the Department of Mysteries, but _the Minister_ ," (Hermione's irritation was clearly heard when she referred to him), "will not give us permission to enter. Instead, he claims to have a plan that involves you. Minister?" Hermione turned towards Kingsley and folded her arms across her chest.

"Ms. Lovegood, as I have explained to Ms. Granger, I simply cannot _allow_ someone into the department, _especially_ without an explanation. It is not easy to be the Minister of Magic and work secretly for the Order of the Phoenix, but I do my best."

"Of course. What is your plan then, Minister?" asked Luna politely.

"I shall have you trained as an Unspeakable. Like that, you will be allowed in and out of the Department without question." Kingsley seemed to be quite pleased with his solution, but Hermione was furious.

"Training takes _months_ , Minister. We do not have that time!"

"It is the only way."

"It is _not_ the only way, you're just too pigheaded to-" Hermione had stopped dead in her tracks. She only just remembered that she was speaking to the Minister of Magic and instantly covered her mouth in embarrassment.

"We won't have to train me to become an Unspeakable," said Luna, clearly not picking up on Hermione's embarrassment. "I have no desire to be one, either."

"But this is the only solution, Ms. Lovegood."

"I'm sorry, Minister, but it isn't. We've entered the Department of Mysteries before and we can do it again."

"Are you indicating that you will break into the Ministry again?" asked Kingsley, with all of his authority in his tone.

"We won't have to break in; we are all welcomed here. We will just have to find a way to slip into the Department. When Harry, Ron, and Hermione put their heads together, they can always come up with a plan!"

"I cannot simply _allow_ you to "slip into" a Department that you are not permitted to enter!"

Luna shrugged. "Then don't allow us, Minister, but we will still do it. Without your knowledge of course," she added.

Hermione caught on to what Luna was saying. "We need to get in there, Minister, for the sake of the Order members. You won't be implicated at all, I can assure you! We will plan it all on our own and won't even tell you the day that it takes place."

"And if you are caught?"

"Then we deal with our consequence," answered Hermione. "It still won't have anything to do with you."

"Ms. Granger, you are asking a lot of me."

"Actually, I am asking nothing of you. You are the Minister of Magic and therefore, we will not involve you."

It was quiet for some time as Kingsley considered what was being said, but Luna broke the silence. "I don't think we have any business with the Minister today, do we, Hermione?"

Hermione smiled. "No, I don't believe we do, Luna. Good day, Minister." The pair left the office without another word, and didn't speak again until they were in the lift. "What now?" Hermione asked Luna.

"Now we find Harry, of course!"

 **Ron Weasley – Present Day**

 **February 18, 2000**

Ron sat around the large table at Number 12 Grimmauld Place along with Harry, Hermione, Luna, Neville, and Angelina. They were the only ones currently at Headquarters (other than the ones who were under the Abracadabra spell) and they were devising the plan that they would use to get in to the Department of Mysteries. "This will work," said Harry, standing over a pile of parchment that was sitting between them all.

"Let's go over it again," said Hermione.

"'Mione, we've been over it a thousand times!" complained Ron.

"One more time won't hurt!" she snapped back.

"Fine," said Harry. "One more time, then. Neville, you'll be arriving at the Ministry first."

Neville nodded. "At 8:00am as I'll have an appointment with Ron at the Dobwig Association."

"Right. Then Angelina."

"I come by all the time to collect orders for the shop. I'll send a memo out that I'm collecting orders before noon, that way if I'm seen, they'll think I'm just going from department to department."

"Then I'll get there around 8:30am and pop in to the Daily Prophet. They see me all the time so it shouldn't be a problem," smiled Luna.

"It's important that none of you are seen together," said Hermione. "Neville, you are to head to the Department at 8:45am. Angelina, 8:50am, and Luna, 8:55am. The only time you'll be together is at 9:00am just outside of the Department."

"The Unspeakables' meeting is to start at 9:00am, but consider the fact that they might be late, so stay alert," warned Harry.

"I still don't know what to say during this bloody meeting," Ron grumbled.

"The Dobwig Association hosting a mandatory meeting is the only way to ensure that the Department of Mysteries will be empty, Ron," replied Hermione.

"Fine, but why are we doing it for every Department?"

"Because it would be suspicious to single out the Department of Mysteries only," she told him.

"And I have to speak about purebloods for _half an hour?_ "

Hermione sighed. "We've been over this, Ronald! I will talk about how it is a wizard and witch's duty to protect and treat the muggles fairly and that the Dobwig Association will be monitoring it! All you have to talk about is how being a pureblood does not differentiate them from half-bloods and muggleborns. You have so much information at your disposal; you can talk about history and Voldemort!"

"That's a long time to talk, Hermione!"

"A half an hour? _I_ have to talk for an hour!"

"And I'll talk for forty-five minutes about the Dobwig Association in general, and what are responsibilities are," finished Harry. "If we succeed, two hours should be enough time for Luna, Neville, and Angelina to explore the Department."

"And if we don't manage to speak for that long?" asked Ron.

"That's why we aren't meeting with the Department of Mysteries until the third day," answered Hermione. "Our first meeting will be with the Aurors and our second meeting will be with the Floo Department. That gives us two whole meetings to practice before we finally meet with the Unspeakables."

"Neville, Luna, Angelina, our aim is to hold them at the meeting for two hours, but you'll also need time to get out of there and those spinning doors can be complicated."

"We can do it, Harry," said Neville.

"I know you can, but I don't need you guys getting caught. Aim for an hour; after that, stop searching and start to find your way out."

"Got it," nodded Angelina.

"What if they don't find anything?" asked Ron.

"Then we come up with another plan and try again," answered Harry. "Now, how quickly can you send word out, Hermione? I think she should start Monday."

" _This_ Monday?" asked Hermione. "Harry, that's in three days, that isn't enough time!"

"Sure it is! The plan has been made and we are ready! You always want to hold off, just like when we had to break into the Ministry in our seventh year. There's no need to wait!"

"Yes there is! I have to give all the Departments notice; I can't simply spring a meeting on them!"

"Fine, when then?" Harry asked her.

"Three weeks."

" _Three weeks?_ That's way too long, Hermione!"

"That's the soonest I can make it happen. I have to book the space and inform the Departments and in turn they need to inform their employees and-"

"I don't care, it has to be sooner!"

"Harry," said Angelina quietly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "My boyfriend is also laying upstairs under the spell. If Hermione says that three weeks is the best that she can do, then that's when we do it. For everyone's safety. If we get caught, then there is definitely no curing Ginny."

"Fine," said Harry bitterly. "Three weeks, but not a day longer."

 **Harry Potter – The Past**

 **August 6, 1998**

Harry was walking along the halls of Hogwarts when he heard his name being called. Hand on his wand, he turned suspiciously to see who it was. Being the summer, nobody, other than the odd professor, should have been at Hogwarts. "Cho?" Harry questioned, when he realized who was coming towards him. "What are you doing here?" he asked her, letting go of his wand.

"Looking for you," she said, out of breath. "You're hard to track down!"

"How did you know I was here?"

"I ran into Hagrid in Diagon Alley. I told him I was looking for you and he said that you were to have tea with him this afternoon, so I came early hoping that you would already be here."

"Oh, well yeah, I'm here. I like the silence," he told her honestly.

"I can imagine," she said sympathetically. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No." Harry watched the Grey Lady float through a wall near him. He still hadn't properly thanked her for all of her help, and he made a mental note to do so in the near future.

"You're even famous with the ghosts!" Cho chuckled, as she watched where Harry was staring. Harry smiled but said nothing; it was nobody's business how Harry and the Grey Lady knew each other. "So, are you coming back to Hogwarts for another year?" she asked him.

"Have to, don't I? They made it mandatory now."

"Oh, I thought you would be an exception."

"Why would I be?"

Cho looked surprised. "Well after everything with You-Know-Who…"

"You said you were looking for me," Harry said plainly. "Is there something you needed? Sorry, but I was looking forward to being on my own for awhile." Cho looked down and her smile faltered; it was clear that this was not going the way she had planned. "Cho?" Harry asked again.

"I was thinking about all of our time in the Room of Requirement. You know, Dumbledore's Army and all of the training that we did."

"It was helpful for many in the war; I'm glad that we did it."

"Yes, me too."

"I didn't see you during the war. Were you fighting in the castle or in the grounds?"

"Oh, uh, a bit of both." Harry had his suspicions that she hadn't been there at all, but he did not voice them. "We have plenty of memories with Dumbledore's Army and that room," continued Cho, trying to bring the conversation back to where she wanted it. Harry said nothing and waited to see where she was going with this. "We had our first kiss there, remember?" she asked, blushing.

"I do remember," Harry said, emotionless.

"I really enjoyed the time that we spent together. Unfortunately, under the circumstances we couldn't continue, but now that everything is over…"

"Oh, uh, Cho, I'm with Ginny."

"We weren't given a proper chance, Harry, if we just tried-"

"We did try, Cho; it just wasn't in the cards for us."

"Because of one failed date? Harry, we are destined to be together, I know it!"

"I'm sorry, but I'm with Ginny and I don't intend on changing that."

"But you left her!"

"For her safety! And why am I even explaining this to you?"

"Wow, I don't recall you being so mean."

"Yeah, well, fighting Voldemort can do that to you," Harry snapped at her. Without replying, Cho brushed angrily into his shoulder and took off crying. " _That's_ one of the reasons why I didn't stay with you," Harry mumbled to himself as he watched her go. "All you do is bloody cry."

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** This chapter was pretty straight forward; a plan has been set and all that's left is to put it into motion! (Which is the next chapter!)

The next chapter has a few things going on: we have the break in at the department of mysteries (again), we have something big happening to Hermione (prior to the break in) and then we have a flashback from Grindelwald that will slowly start to answer some questions!

Thanks as always! I'll try to post another chapter before the weekend!


	33. The Department of Mysteries

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Thirty-Three: The Department of Mysteries**

 **Hermione Granger – Present Day**

 **March 14, 2000**

Hermione hovered outside of the west wing where she knew Draco was sitting. She was being silly of course; she had spoken to him a few times since she had told him that she loved him, and _that_ conversation had never been brought up, yet she was still nervous to see him. "This is silly, Hermione," she whispered to herself. Taking several deep breaths, she pushed open the door to his wing. "Draco?" she called out, when she noticed that he wasn't in the sitting room.

"Be out in a minute," came his voice from the bedroom. She stood awkwardly in the corner waiting, until a rolled up parchment on the table caught her attention. Curious, she made her way over to it, hesitated, but eventually decided on opening it. She recognized his handwriting at once, and realized that it was an unfinished letter to his mother. She began to read it to herself:

 _Dearest Mother,_

 _I hope that everything is well over at the manor. I know that you are lonely, especially now that the fidelius charm prevents you from having anyone over, but my hearing is on Friday and with any luck, this will all be over and I will visit with you much more frequently. I was going to ask Hermione to see you before the hearing, but she's been incredibly busy lately. Speaking of her, I was hoping that your opinion of her has changed. She saved you from the intruder and it is thanks to her that I am currently not in Azkaban. I was thinking of asking her to-_

"Do you make a habit of reading people's letters?" asked Draco, entering the room and watching her read his unfinished letter to his mother.

"Draco, I – uh – sorry," she said, hastily dropping the letter back onto the table. "I shouldn't have done that."

Draco picked up the parchment and tucked it inside of his robes. "Is everything alright?" he asked her. "You haven't come by in awhile."

"I know, I've been incredibly busy. We are doing daily meetings with the departments at the Ministry, so it's taking up a lot of my time. Yesterday was with the Aurors, today was with the floo department, and tomorrow is with the Unspeakables," she said nervously, although Draco did not pick up on it. "I've come by to remind you of your hearing on Friday."

"How could I forget?"

"Well, I want you to know that I will let them know that you've followed all of the rules and hopefully you can finally be let off."

"Thanks."

"I, uh, need you to not mention all those times that I've left you alone at Harry's house and stuff; it would be bad for both of us."

"Don't worry," Draco said, understanding her point. "As far as the Ministry will know, the only places that I have been without you was the Slytherin common room and this wing."

"Thank you," Hermione said smiling. "I should go now," she said, turning to leave.

"Hermione, do you think we could talk?"

She bit her bottom lip but said nothing. Tomorrow was a busy day for her and her friends, and incredibly risky; she did not need to add the stress of Draco on top of that. "Not today, Draco, but…" she hesitated before speaking again. "We can soon, okay?" Draco accepted her answer and she left his wing to head to the kitchen where she could get something to eat and hopefully get some sleep before the big day tomorrow.

"There you are," said Viktor, sitting at the kitchen table.

"Viktor! I didn't know that you were home!"

"I left quidditch practice early; I feel like I never see you anymore."

"I know," she said, walking towards him and allowing him to pull her onto his knee. "It's been incredibly busy at the Ministry and tomorrow is going to be the same."

"Vell, since ve haff forever together, I guess I can let you vork all these hours." The pair laughed together, but as Hermione went to stand to get some food, Viktor pulled her back down. "I vanted to ask you something," he said to her.

"What is it?" she asked. He put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a beautiful blue sapphire on a gold band. "Viktor," she gasped, "that's beautiful!"

"I bought it for you," he said.

"What? Viktor, no, I can't accept this, it's way too much!"

Viktor chuckled at her response. "I do not think you understand. Hermione, I am asking you to be my vitch forever; I am asking you to marry me."

Hermione's jaw dropped to the ground. "Viktor, I… This is so unexpected! I – I don't know what to say!"

"Vell, I vould prefer it if you said yes."

"Oh, Viktor, I-"

"I know how your mind vorks, Hermione. You need to think and to process; you ver never one to make a quick decision. So how about this, then." He grabbed her right hand as opposed to her left, and slipped the ring on it. "I vill put the ring on this hand for now, that way nobody knows it is an engagement ring and it gives you the time you need to think. How about in a veek, we haff dinner together and you can tell me your answer?"

"Viktor, you should keep the ring for now," she responded.

"No, it is yours. Leave it in your eye sight for now so you can get used to looking at it. A veek from now, vith hopefully the answer I am expecting," he chuckled.

"A week?" she asked, still not fully comprehending what was going on.

"A veek," he confirmed. Not being able to find her voice, she simply nodded. Viktor stood up and kissed her on the forehead. "I must get to bed, I haff an early match tomorrow against Germany that ve must vin. I vill see you upstairs."

"Okay," she said so quietly, that she wasn't even sure if he had heard her. When he left the room, she stared down at the ring. It truly was beautiful, but an _engagement_ ring? Her head was spinning; with the break-in at the Department of Ministries tomorrow, Draco's hearing on Friday, and all these mandatory meetings that she now had to do with every department, Hermione could not process what had just happened with Viktor. Fearing that she would not be able to function tomorrow, she gave up on eating that night, pushed the engagement ring out of her mind, and headed to bed to rest, although she knew that at this point, sleep was impossible.

 **Neville Longbottom – Present Day**

 **March 15, 2000**

Neville arrived at the Ministry early in the morning as planned, checked in with the security desk, and headed to the lifts to take him to the Dobwig Association's office, where he had a pretend meeting scheduled with Ron. He walked in to the office and immediately saw Ron's bright red hair. "Oh, good, you're here. Come in, Neville." Neville followed Ron inside and shut the door, only to realize that Harry and Hermione were in there, too.

"I didn't realize you were going to be here as well," said Neville.

"We are just going through our notes for today," answered Hermione. "Monday's meeting was only an hour, and yesterdays was only an hour and fifteen minutes; we really need to push it longer today. Here, Ron, I got you these," she said, handing him a few rolls of parchment.

"What are these?" Ron asked her.

"Examples of pureblood families in history who wound up dead after refusing to help the muggles."

Ron started to read one of them aloud. " _Martin Stewart of Scotland in 1552 witnessed a muggle being dragged by a horse through his farmland. Stewart withdrew his wand from his robes, but instead of stopping the wild animal, he used his wand to tighten the ropes around the muggle's leg so that he could not get free. A nearby witch, Selma Gonzaga, who was in love with the muggle, had witnessed what Stewart had done. Infuriated, especially since she had not arrived in time to save the muggle, Gonzaga killed Stewart with a flash of her wand._ Hermione, this is boring!" said Ron. "Nobody is going to want to hear any of this rubbish!"

"I don't care that it's _boring,_ Ronald! You barely spoke for ten minutes at the other two meetings, we need you to speak for much longer and reading these articles will help! Besides, the message is actually really important; if Stewart had only helped the muggle, both of their lives would have been spared!"

"Don't argue with her, mate," Harry whispered to Ron. "Just read the bloody articles."

"Hermione, that's a nice ring," said Neville, noticing a lovely blue sapphire on her right hand.

"What? Oh, thanks, it's a gift from Viktor."

"Wow, that's a nice gift!"

"It's no big deal," Hermione shrugged.

"Sure it is!" replied Neville. "That must have cost him at least one hundred galleons!"

"I doubt it," she replied.

"He's an international quidditch player, Neville," said Ron grumpily. "He can afford to buy things like that; makes the rest of us look horrible," he added in an undertone.

"Alright, everything is set," said Hermione, ignoring Ron. "Neville, you sure you're okay?"

Neville nodded. "Me, Luna, and Angelina are well prepared, don't worry about us."

"Have your galleon just in case; we will send word if there is trouble," said Harry. "Oh, and take this," he added, handing his invisibility cloak over to him. "It won't cover all three of you at once, but maybe you can use it to make your way down there."

"Thanks," said Neville. He slipped out of the office, threw the cloak over himself, and carefully made his way down to the Department of Mysteries. Having the cloak had been incredibly helpful; as he stood against a wall near the door to the Department, the cloak kept him invisible from all the Unspeakables that were heading towards their meeting with The Dobwig Association. Angelina appeared just as the last Unspeakable was leaving. Horrified that she was to about to get caught, Neville aimed his wand at the Unspeakable under his cloak, but before he could stun him, Angelina took care of the situation.

"Hi, I'm here collecting orders for Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Would you like to place an order?"

"No, get out of here."

"I'll see if anyone else would like to," she said, making her way towards the Department.

"Nobody else is there!" he snarled at her.

"Oh, thank you for letting me know; I guess I'll return upstairs then." Not having any other choice, Angelina got back onto the lift and headed away from the Department. A few minutes later, Luna had arrived.

"Luna, I'm here," said Neville, removing the cloak. "Angelina was seen so she went back up," he told her.

"Do we go on without her?" Luna asked him. "It's already 9:03am!"

"I'm here!" Angelina panted, as she raced towards them. "I made it look like I was going up to the top floor, but once that Unspeakable got off the lift, I took it back down here."

"Great!" said Luna.

"Okay," said Neville, taking charge. "Let's go." When they entered the Department of Mysteries, they found themselves in the room full of spinning doors as they knew they would. Angelina took out what looked like a large bucket of red ink and drew a circle on the door that would lead them back out of the department when they were ready to leave. "What's that?" Neville asked.

"It's called paint," Angelina responded. "It's a muggle invention that George discovered and uses in the shop. Harry told me how the fiery x's you used the last time eventually vanished so I thought of this; it should stay on."

"Brilliant!" said Luna, smiling. "Which door should we go through first?"

"It doesn't matter," answered Neville. "But we need to move fast, we don't have much time." Luna selected a door and they found themselves in a very familiar room full of glass orbs.

"This is where we fought the Death Eaters last time," said Luna. "Where we found the prophecy!"

"We know that these aisles only contain prophecies and stuff, so we can cross this off our list," Neville said. Angelina drew an x on the door with her paint, and they waited for the doors to stop spinning again before selecting another. Angelina opened the next door, and the three of them stood staring into an empty room with nothing but an archway on a dais in the centre.

"There's nothing in here," said Angelina.

"Let's keep looking," offered Neville. Door after door the three of them went through. They found familiar rooms from when they were last there, as well as new rooms with incredibly interesting artefacts, but nothing that had the potential to store anyone's _insides_ , nor restore "the person to the vessel".

"It's 10:08am," said Luna, looking at her watch.

"Let's go," said Neville. "We can think of another plan after." As they headed for the door with the circle on it, Neville froze. "They'll know people broke in here by the paint," he said.

Angelina shrugged. "It was the only way that we could ensure that we could get out. Let's get out of here; even if they know someone had broken in, they'll never know it was us." The three of them successfully made it back to Ron's office at the Dobwig Association and had only been there for about thirty seconds when Harry, Ron, and Hermione returned. Hermione closed the door and casted _Muffliato_ on it before anybody spoke.

 **Harry Potter – Present Day**

 **March 15, 2000**

"Well?" Harry finally asked.

"Sorry, Harry," said Neville. "We couldn't find anything."

"Nothing at all?"

"I don't think it's in there, Harry," said Angelina. "We can find another way to get back in and try again, but I really believe that it must be somewhere else." Before Harry could say a word, a loud voice was heard throughout the Ministry.

"There has been a break-in; nobody is to leave or enter the Ministry."

"What now?" asked Neville.

"Luna, quick, get to the Daily Prophet now and do whatever it is that you do there!"

"Got it!" she said, and took off.

"Angelina, here's my order form. You need to go to every office and collect orders to cover yourself. As long as every Department has seen you, you'll be fine." Angelina left behind Luna without a word. "Ron, you walk Neville downstairs; act as if he has been in a meeting with you the whole time."

"But I was with the Unspeakables; they'll know that Neville wasn't with me."

"Ron, say that Neville was locked in your office doing some paperwork for us and that you locked the door yourself so that there was no way he could have gotten out," Hermione told him. "You're a member of the Dobwig Association, the Order of the Phoenix, and you're Harry Potter's best friend; they'll take your word for it." Ron and Neville took off together, leaving Harry and Hermione alone. "Now what?" she asked him.

"I don't know." Suddenly, the office door burst open and Kingsley Shacklebolt stood standing there, his face bright red with anger.

"Ms. Granger," he started.

"It's taken care of," Harry said before anyone else could speak. "My people have left already and they'll never be able to find out who it was. It's done, Kingsley." After a moment, Kingsley gave Harry one small nod and took off, helping the Aurors in the building to try and find the intruders that he knew very well he would not find. Once the lockdown had been lifted (and no intruders were found), Harry apparated to Grimmauld Place and went to sit next to Ginny's still form. Unlike the others who were all placed together in one room, Harry had laid Ginny down on the bed that they shared at Grimmauld Place. "Hello, Ginny," Harry said, grabbing her hand. "I don't know if you can here me. If what Hermione said was true and your _person_ isn't in there, then you probably can't." After a moment of silence, he decided to continue to talk to her anyway. "We tried to find you all today, we really did. We weren't successful but I promise you, we won't give up. I could have sworn it would be in the Department of Mysteries, though; where else could it be?" Harry rubbed her cold fingers between his warm ones, but nothing he did would warm her skin. "I love you," he told her vessel. "I've never loved anyone the way that I love you. I love my parents even though I don't know them. They are my parents after all, and they sacrificed their lives for me. I love Sirius, the only parent that I actually knew. I love your parents, who treat me like their own child, and I love my siblings, Ron and Hermione. I love Teddy, my Godson, more than I thought possible. But then there's you, Ginny." Harry sat there quietly looking at the witch he loved most in this world. "I can't lose you," he whispered to her. "If Sirius were here, he would have known what to do. But he's behind that stupid veil and no matter what I do, I can't get him out, but I _know_ he's in there, Ginny, I-" Harry froze mid-sentence. "Ginny, the veil! HERMIONE!" he yelled, running out of the room and towards the floo to find her.

 **Gellert Grindelwald – The Past**

 **May 13, 1998**

Gellert broke the dry piece of bread into little pieces and littered them on the ground of his cell. He was an old man and he was tired. He spent far too many years in Nurmengard, the prison _he_ built, yet he was the prisoner. Year after year he had spent, wasting away in this dark cell, with only two visitors in the fifty-three years that he had been there. The first had been Dumbledore. Ah, Dumbledore. Too many years had been wasted due to that man. Gellert shook the thoughts out of his mind. His second visitor had been Tom Riddle; the man who called himself the Dark Lord. Gellert laughed aloud, What a fool! He had visited Gellert in Nurmengard, and yet, left him alive! Gellert laughed again. "Oh, the fool!" he said, cackling loudly. He assumed that Riddle had informed the Wizarding world that he did kill him, however, considering the encounter that he had with another prisoner. The new prisoner was being taken to his cell and screamed when he had seen Gellert. "Grindelwald!" he had screamed. "But he killed you!" Laughing yet again, Gellert ruffled through the pieces of bread that he had littered the floor with. The truth was, other than his two visitors, he had also received one more thing. A couple of days ago, buried deep inside his serving of dry old bread, was the tiniest bit of parchment with five little words on it: _Time to get you out._ He ingested the parchment the moment he received it so that nobody else would find it, and from that moment on, he waited. He had searched every piece of bread given to him, but no other parchment was found. As he sat on the ground, now eating his pieces of bread, he began to wonder if he had dreamt it. That thought disappeared however, when he saw a shadow approach his cell. He looked up into the eyes of a woman he had never seen before.

"Hello, Mr. Grindelwald. I think it is time that we get you out of there."

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** First, I would like to apologize. I said I would have one up before the weekend, yet it is Sunday when I am posting this. My husband and his Grandma were in the hospital for different reasons (both are okay now, thankfully). Things happen that are out of my control but I want to take this time to ensure you all that I am 100% committed to this story! I have the entire 19 years planned for the most part, and I have plenty written already (just not published yet as I go in order obviously!) So please know that if I do not post it is because something had happened, but rest assured that once things are on track again, you will receive a new chapter! My goal is 2-3 a week but I promise that you will never go a week without at least one! I'm trying to manage posting, writing, taking care of a baby, and regular life all at once so bear with me!

Now, back to our story! The Department of Mysteries was a bust, but Harry thinks he has an idea; let's see if he's right! In terms of Krum's proposal: you can take it as an end to the love triangle (once Hermione makes her decision in a week) she IS going to make a decision, and she IS going to eliminate one (or both) men. In terms of Grindelwald, who is the mystery woman? I would love to hear your thoughts!

Next chapter focuses on Draco (after all, he must compete with a proposal!) With his trial coming up, there's a lot on the line.

Thanks for understanding; please review and send your questions/comments!


	34. A Magical Place

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Thirty-Four: A Magical Place**

 **Hermione Granger – Present Day**

 **March 15, 2000**

"Harry, are you absolutely sure that that's where they are?" Hermione asked Harry for probably the fifth time.

"Come on, Hermione, what else could it be? You can hear voices when you're near it; it makes perfect sense!"

"Yes but you can only hear the voices if you've witnessed death, Harry, and that doesn't make sense!"

"It's like the thestrals! Can you explain that?"

"Well no, but-"

"Exactly, Hermione! Magic isn't always explained, but that's _got_ to be it!"

"And if you're wrong?"

"I am _not_ wrong!"

"Let's just _say_ you are, then what?"

"Then we keep trying. But seriously, Hermione, what's the worst that can happen? We take them there and say the counter-curse. If it doesn't work then they just stay the way they are. They cannot get any worse!"

"I suppose you're right, Harry."

"Finally! We can get them back, Hermione! Ginny, George, Remus, Tonks, Sirius…"

"Sirius?" Hermione repeated.

"He's in the veil, Hermione!"

"Yes, but Harry-"

"He's alive! You can't convince me otherwise!"

"Fine, Harry, but how do you plan on getting him out? His body fell through, too!"

"I… I don't know, but I know we will figure it out."

Frowning, Hermione made to change the subject. Sirius' death had caused Harry a lot of pain and she was worried that he would be putting himself through all of that again. "We need to figure out how we are going to get in there again, and how we are going to bring the vessels there."

"Kingsley can-"

"Kingsley _won't_ help us, Harry! He puts his Minister duties before the Order of the Phoenix."

"But this is saving people. Surely he won't say no?"

Hermione shrugged. "I think he will, Harry. Maybe we shouldn't mention it to him; not just yet."

They both thought for awhile before Harry spoke. "Kingsley gave the Unspeakables permission to let me in to grieve Sirius, remember? I'll pretend I want to visit again and I'll take one of them under my invisibility cloak and go from there. If it works, and it _will_ work, Hermione, then we can just take them there one by one."

"If you're allowed back in, then I guess that's the best plan."

"Why wouldn't I be allowed back in?"

"Well, it's been awhile since you've been there…"

"I'll say I've been busy!"

"They aren't going to believe that you're still grieving him-"

"But I am!"

"-and with the break in, I'm sure security is going to be much tighter…"

"Hermione! Why are you trying to shut this down?" Harry yelled.

"I am _not_ trying to shut this down! I am being realistic!"

"Well, I'm going to try!"

"Good! Let me know how it goes then."

"Yeah," Harry started to leave angrily, but Hermione called him back.

"Harry, really, I hope it works. Wake them up, okay?" Harry smiled at her and left. She yawned as she looked at the time. It was late and she was exhausted, but she had to take Draco to see his mother as she promised, so she apparated back to the Estate and met Draco in the West Wing. "Ready?" she asked, yawning again.

"Yeah just about- what's on your hand?" Draco asked her, noticing the blue sapphire.

"It's just a gift from Viktor," she said, quickly hiding her hand behind her back.

"Then why are you hiding it?" he reached for her arm and pulled the ring close to him. "That's a real sapphire," he said, more to himself.

"Yes well, he can afford it," she said, pulling her hand free.

"He can afford _many_ things, but he would only give something like that with intention. Hermione, did he _propose?_ "

"D-don't be s-silly," Hermione said stuttering, and avoided her gaze from him. "It's on the wrong hand!"

"So that people won't know!" Draco said, catching on. "Hermione, tell me the truth!"

"I… Well… Fine," she said sighing, sinking into the nearest chair. "He asked, but I didn't say yes!"

"But you didn't say no, either," said Draco, sitting across from her.

"Well, no, I didn't," she admitted.

"Why not?"

"I, uh… It's complicated, Draco!"

"No, it isn't!" he snapped back at her. "You don't love him so why would you marry him?"

"Draco, I live here! I would have nowhere to go…"

"You can stay at my Manor!"

"No thanks!"

"Then we can buy a place, you and I!"

"I would want my _own_ place, and I could never afford to get a place that gives you all of this," she said, indicating to everything around the room.

"I don't care! I'll live in a closet if that's what it takes!"

Hermione smiled. "Let's wait to see what happens after your hearing. For all we know, this won't be necessary anymore."

"You can't marry him, Hermione."

"That isn't your decision!"

"But he's given you a gift; I can't let him win by default!"

"I am NOT a prize to be won!"

"Hermione, please…"

"Enough! Are we going to visit your mother, or not?"

"I would actually prefer to go somewhere else?"

"Where?" Hermione asked, growing more exhausted.

"Do you trust me?"

"What?"

"I want to take you somewhere; do you trust me?"

"Draco, I'm tired. If we aren't going to visit your mother, then I'm going to bed."

"Please!" he almost yelled. "Let me show you _my_ version of that sapphire."

"This isn't a competition," she told him, but calmly this time.

"We're Quidditch players; competition is in our blood!"

"He doesn't even _know_ that you're trying to compete!"

"Sure he does! He came in here to make sure that I was aware that you belonged to him."

"What? I don't belong to ANYONE!" she said, angrily.

Draco laughed. "I know. Come with me; please?" He held out his hand and, reluctantly, she took it.

 **Draco Malfoy – Present Day**

 **March 15, 2000**

Draco and Hermione left the West Wing together and made their way downstairs to the front door so that Draco would be able to apparate her to his secret destination. As they approached the front door, however, Krum was walking through it. Draco watched Krum quickly assess the situation before grabbing Hermione in a tight hug and kissing her hard on the lips for an excessive amount of time.

"Hello, my beautiful vitch," he said, finally releasing her. "Vere are you two going?"

"I'm taking Draco to see his mother," she responded. Draco smiled at the fact that she was lying to Krum. "Did you win your Quidditch match?" she was asking Krum.

"Ve destroyed them," he said smugly. "I vill tell you all about it in our bed tonight," he added, glancing towards Draco. Hermione said goodbye to him, and the pair walked towards the end of the property to the nearest apparition point.

"You know he does that to try and annoy me, right?" Draco asked her.

Hermione nodded. "He believes it's a competition," she said.

"May the best wizard win!"

"It is NOT a competition, Draco! You two do not decide who I end up with, I do! And quite frankly, I believe my choice is neither!"

Draco shrugged. "As long as it isn't him."

Hermione rolled her eyes but said no more about it. "Where are you taking me?" she asked him.

"You'll see." He took her hand and apparated her to several borders before finally ending up at what looked like a muggles campground.

"What are we doing here?" she asked him.

"Heading towards our destination; this is as far as we can apparate. Come on, we'll have to go on foot now."

Hermione, trying not to let her curiosity get to her, decided to talk about something else while they walked. "Are you ready for Friday?" she asked him.

"You mean the hearing?" Draco shrugged. "It's just like the last one, I suppose. I don't think anything is going to change; they'll never let me go while there's a notorious wizard out there."

"Well, they have no grounds to send you to Azkaban; you've complied to everything and of course, I'll confirm that."

"I'm sure things are going to just stay the way they are for now. Looks like you're stuck with me, Granger."

"I just don't know where we are going to live," she sighed.

"So, you aren't accepting the proposal, then?" he said, as he stopped dead in his tracks to look at her.

"What? I never said that!"

"You kind of just did."

"I, uh, just meant that I would want to get my own home with Viktor, not live in _his_ estate."

"Uh huh." Draco started to walk again and she continued to follow him.

"Draco, seriously, where _are_ we going?"

"Nowhere, because we are here," he told her, as they entered a small clearing in a forest.

"What are we doing here?" she asked, looking around.

"You don't recognize it?"

"No," she answered, after looking around again.

"Well, I suppose that your mind was elsewhere the last time that you were here. I, however, can never forget this place; it has so much significance."

Hermione frowned as she watched him reminisce. "I've been here with you?"

"You didn't _come_ with me, but we ran into each other here. You were with Potter and the Weasel, though."

"So, this was before we dated?"

"Oh yes! Several years before."

"I've never been anywhere with you outside of Hogwarts, how could we possibly have been here together?"

"You really don't know where you are?"

"No…" but Hermione's response seemed to falter.

"Do you remember something?"

"Ron… He tripped over a branch, right over there," she said, pointing towards the root of a tree. "And then, you came, and – and you insulted him."

"Great memory!" he chuckled.

"So, this is… This is where the Quidditch World Cup was?"

"Very good."

"And these are the woods that we ran into for safety when those Death Eaters appeared."

Draco nodded. "And I ran into you here with Crabbe and Goyle."

"Yes, I remember now. Why did you bring me here?"

"Because."

"Because?"

He walked over to her and grabbed her hands. "Because I wanted to show you something that was important to me."

"This clearing where, if I remember correctly, you called me a _mudblood_ , is important to you?"

Draco frowned at the fact that she remembered that particular detail. "I'm not proud of that, but I also wasn't ready for anyone to know anything; it wasn't safe for either of us."

"What are you talking about?"

"Hermione, this is the place that I fell in love with you."

"What?" Hermione started to laugh and pulled her hands away from Draco. "This is ridiculous; let's go."

"No, listen! For the first three years at Hogwarts, you really were that annoying, bushy-haired, muggleborn. Sorry," he added with a laugh, when he saw her annoyed look. "But when I saw you while we were in here, I don't know, you looked… Different."

"Different?" she asked, arms crossed.

"Yeah. I was hiding in the bushes, remember? I watched you for a few moments when I realized that you were beautiful." He knew that she didn't believe him, but he was telling her the truth. "Look, I know it sounds crazy but there was something about you that day that I couldn't shake and for years it nagged me until finally I did something about it."

"Draco, you treated me worse as each year passed!"

"Because I put too much of a charade on to hide my true feelings, even from myself. But I _did_ try and protect you, even when I sounded like a complete arse."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, don't you remember? I told you to run so that the Death Eaters wouldn't get you during the Quidditch World Cup."

"You said that it would be a laugh to see my knickers if they caught me and put me in the air!" she scolded.

"So I worded it wrong," he shrugged. "But it _would_ have been nice to have seen your knickers." She playfully slapped him on the arm. "I'm not kidding; this is where it all happened for me," he told her, moving closer to her again. "And that's why I wanted you to see it. This is the place where I fell in love with you, and nothing, not even a large blue sapphire, can trump a place with such magic as this."

"Magic?"

"Wouldn't you say so? That's what it feels like to me."

"Magic isn't a _feeling_ , Draco! Magic is this: _Lumos_ ," said Hermione, as a bright light from her wand illuminated the area.

"Magic is also this: _Periculum_ ," he shouted, as red sparks were shot into the air.

"I don't understand," she said to him.

"You do understand," he responded. "This is my magical place," he whispered, as he brought his lips inches away from hers. "And it could be yours, too." He successfully lowered his lips onto hers and stole a small, sweet kiss from her, before pulling away. "That is of course, if you don't pick the Bulgarian buffoon."

 **Gellert Grindelwald – Present Day**

 **March 15, 2000**

"Ah, there you are, Rookwood! Finally! Did you get it?"

"I did, My Lord. It took some time, but I can assure you that it is accurate."

"Very good. Now, we shall – Uh, Rookwood, this is a house?"

"It is, My Lord. It seems as if all of the houses are oddly shaped in that area. There is a house shaped like a rook at the top of a hill."

"A rook? Really? Hm." Gellert looked back towards the parchment that was just given to him. It contained the drawing of a particular house that was going to help him succeed. "This shall be a lot simpler than I thought, then," he said, more to himself than anything. He glanced over at another man that had recently joined his mansion. "If you've got something to say, Avery, then go ahead and spit it out."

"My Lord," came Avery's voice as he slowly stepped forward. "I beg your pardon, but I am curious as to why Potter has been allowed to carry on with his life after his constant betrayal? Unlike the Dark Lo- _Tom Riddle_ ," he corrected, seeing the look on Gellert's face, "you do not require for him to die by your hand alone."

"That is correct; any one of you may kill him, and quite frankly, I would appreciate it if one of you did, but _after_ I get what I require."

"It would seem as though Potter has more than seven lives!" chuckled Rookwood.

"Yes, he has been quite lucky, hasn't he?" replied Gellert. "Make no mistake, gentlemen, Potter is alive due to an incredible amount of luck, but he is not entirely stupid. He arms himself with information that only he alone knows, and, therefore, that keeps him alive. Which brings me to this!" he said excitedly, holding up the piece of parchment. "This will force Harry Potter to give me my information and then you three are welcomed to do whatever it is you'd like with him."

"But, My Lord, how do you know Potter will talk this time?"

"Because, Thicknesse, Harry Potter was going to take me to where I needed to go when I had my wand at his girlfriend's throat. It only fell through when many of his allies arrived. He has luck, remember? But no matter, we will do this instead." He studied the parchment for quite some time in silence, until finally rolling it up and addressing the three men in front of him. "I'm sorry to say that this will take some time, but late is better than never. Avery, I believe you will take care of the secret-keeper for me?"

"Of course, My Lord."

"Wonderful. Until then, gentlemen, let us continue to make our presence known. Remember, try not to kill _too_ many during your attacks; we do, after all, care about the _greater good_."

 **Harry Potter – The Past**

 **May 9, 1998**

A little bell over the door jingled as Harry entered a familiar shop. He looked around surprised as he saw boxes upon boxes stacked on every shelf, chair, cabinet.

"Ah, Mr. Potter! Welcome! Welcome! Please come in!"

"Mr. Ollivander," said Harry smiling, taking the old man's hand. "I am surprised – pleased, of course! – but surprised to see your shop already back to its normal state. I would have thought that the Death Eaters would have destroyed it and taken all of your wands."

"I am sure that was their intention, but between you and me, Mr. Potter, there is an ancient form of magic set upon my shop by the very first Ollivander."

"What kind of magic, if you don't mind me asking."

"How can I deny any information to you after what you have done for me? It is a very simple spell, but powerful, nonetheless. Only a true wandmaker can enter my shop and be able to see the wands."

"But I can see them," Harry said, confused.

"Yes, Mr. Potter, because I am present. But if I were to step out, all of this would look destroyed to you."

"Fascinating!" said Harry.

"It is. Now, my dear boy, what is it that I can do for you?"

"I've got a question about the Elder Wand again. See, I now know it exists. I've seen it, I've _touched_ it, and I know that it is exactly what the stories say it is."

"I see," said Mr. Ollivander, glancing towards the wand in Harry's pocket.

Harry pulled out the wand that Mr. Ollivander had given him back when he was eleven years old. "This is still my original wand, Sir, I am not the one who has the Elder Wand."

"You do know who does, then?"

"I do, and I can assure you that it will never kill again." When Mr. Ollivander said nothing, Harry continued. "I was curious, though, about how its allegiance works."

"Whatever do you mean, my boy? It works the same as any other wand in that sense."

"Well, not exactly. See, the history behind the Elder Wand states that the owner of the wand must be killed by another in order for the wand to change its allegiance."

"That is what the stories say," responded Mr. Ollivander.

"And there is proof of that, too," continued Harry. "I know for a fact that a young Gellert Grindelwald had stolen it from Gregorovitch."

"So, it was true that Gregorovitch had it?"

"Yes, and Grindelwald stole it. But he had only stunned Gregorovitch, and, therefore, the Elder Wand never worked for him."

"It seems that you have the answer to your own question, then."

"Well, no, because here's the tricky part." Harry thought about the day that Dumbledore had died. Since Malfoy had disarmed Dumbledore, and it was Malfoy's wand that Snape used to kill Dumbledore, why then, did the allegiance transfer to Malfoy and not to Snape? "One of the more recent owners had been disarmed. The person who had disarmed him though, lent his wand to someone else, and _that_ person killed the owner. So, why is it that the disarmer now gained the Wand's allegiance, and not the murderer?"

Mr. Ollivander thought for a while before speaking. "Wands are very tricky to understand, Mr. Potter. You say that the disarmer willingly lent his wand to the murderer?" Harry nodded. "The Elder Wand still belonged to the original owner at the time of the disarming; it did, however, sense danger. Since the disarmer was the one that took the Wand from the owner, then the Wand assumed him to be his new owner once the old one was dead. No wand can see, of course, they can only sense when their owner is gone. Unlike regular wands, who simply change allegiance by being disarmed, the Elder Wand was created by Death, and, therefore, death is required in order to own it. The Elder Wand, in this instance, did not see who killed his owner, only that the owner was now dead after having first been disarmed."

Harry tried to make sense of it all. If he was understanding correctly, Malfoy had become the owner of the Elder Wand because he willingly let Snape use his wand, which was the wand that first disarmed then killed Dumbledore, the previous owner. So how then, did Harry become the owner of the wand if Draco was still alive? "If the disarmer had later been disarmed then, but not killed, would the new disarmer become the owner?"

"Not if he did not kill him."

"That does not make sense, then. I know someone who disarmed the current owner, but did not kill him, yet the Elder Wand started working for him."

"Only a powerful wizard could have been able to successfully use the Elder Wand if its allegiance was not to him."

"A powerful wizard?" Harry definitely was not a powerful wizard, he thought to himself.

"Oh, yes. It is my understanding that the Elder Wand still belongs to the original disarmer. Whoever was able to use it without killing that owner is the most powerful wizard this world has seen yet, and I, for one, would fear that wizard."

"Thank you for your time," said Harry. He walked out of the shop more confused than when he had walked in. According to Mr. Ollivander, and Harry trusted his knowledge, Draco Malfoy was the current possessor of the Elder Wand, and he, Harry, was the most powerful and perhaps feared wizard, should people learn the truth about the Elder Wand.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** The point of the Draco scenes in this chapter is to even the playing field between the two men. The next chapter will be the end to the triangle. (Side note: where Draco takes Hermione is important; but you won't know why for quite a few chapters from now!)

The next chapter has plenty of important information: it has Draco's hearing, Hermione's decision, and one big story plot that I doubt any of you expect! I hope you enjoy!

Almost 10,000 views; a huge thanks!


	35. The Hearing and the Turncoat

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Thirty-Five: The Hearing and the Turncoat**

 **Draco Malfoy – Present Day**

 **March 17, 2000**

Draco was sitting in the middle of the courtroom, looking up at the usual five people that were at his hearings, including the Minister of Magic and Harry Potter. They had gotten through the majority of the hearing; Draco had spoken, answered questions, and proven that he had no involvement with current attacks. All that was left as to hear the reference letters (that would help him as Hermione had written something on his behalf), followed by the final decision. He was feeling confident that everything was going well and, although he did not expect to be let off just yet, he knew that nothing worse would happen. "I will now read the references that we have received before a final decision has been made. We have received three letters for this matter," said Kingsley, as he picked up the first letter. Draco had only expected one letter from Hermione, and was quite interested in who the other two were from. "The first one is from Ms. Hermione Granger," Kingsley said, clearing his throat and preparing to read: " _It has been an absolute pleasure to look after Draco Malfoy these last months. Not only did Mr. Malfoy comply with every rule set for him, there was never even a single complaint uttered by him when he had to spend days upon days by himself. Mr. Malfoy is a polite and rule-abiding individual and has proven to me that I did not make a mistake in putting my own life on the line for him. Although I will gladly continue to watch Mr. Malfoy, his actions have proven that it is clearly unnecessary for him to require it._ " Draco looked over to Hermione who was in the stands and smiled at her. The Minister grabbed the next letter and continued. "The next letter is from Mr. Harry Potter. It says: _As a good friend to Hermione Granger, it was common that Draco Malfoy had visited my home alongside her. Because of this, we have had many conversations that involve the current war that has commenced. More than just conversation, Mr. Malfoy has proven himself by helping me with matters that will help end it all. I, Harry James Potter, am thankful for all that Mr. Malfoy has done thus far, and am pleased to have him as an ally._ " Malfoy looked over at Potter shocked; he had not expected anything at all from him and if he were to be honest, he was incredibly touched. He made a small nod in Potter's direction, and turned to the Minister to hear the final reference. "The final reference is from Mr. Viktor Krum." Draco immediately turned to Hermione and watched her jaw drop. Clearly, she had no idea what this was about. What was worse was that she had a look of fear on her face. His stomach dropping, Draco turned back to the Minister and waited to hear the reference. " _As fiancé to Ms. Hermione Granger, I had allowed for a wing in my Estate be converted to Mr. Malfoy's private quarters whilst he was under the watch of Ms. Granger. I am sorry to report that Mr. Malfoy showed a horrible disregard to all the rules set for him. Although the wards around the wing prevented Mr. Malfoy from leaving, it did not stop him from attempting to leave without Ms. Granger on several occasions. I have a house elf who was ordered to watch Mr. Malfoy and can confirm it all. Not only did Mr. Malfoy attempt to go against the rules placed on him, his attempt could have also put my fiancée in danger without her ever knowing. Furthermore, I have to report disturbing information that on four different occasions I attempted to intercept an owl that was headed to his wing, but on every occasion, the letter would burn prior to me reading it. I am without a doubt positive that Mr. Malfoy has been corresponding with dark wizards. Surely, a letter to his mother would not have had that protection. As an ally to the British Ministry, I feel obligated to provide this information to you and hope that it aids you in making the correct decision._ "

"No!" Hermione cried out, standing up. "No, Minister, it isn't true!"

"Ms. Granger," interjected Kingsley. "It is not your place to speak out and I request that you sit down immediately or you will be removed from this courtroom." Draco watched Hermione sit down, but tears were pouring down her face. "Based on the references provided, Mr. Malfoy, it is my authority to place you under arrest and-"

"We are supposed to vote," Harry interrupted.

"Mr. Potter, may I remind you that-"

"I do not need reminding, Minister. You, Mr. Yaxley, and myself are to vote on the verdict; those are the rules of the review hearing."

"Fine," said Kingsley, rather unprofessionally. "Mr. Potter, your vote?"

"I vote not guilty," Harry said immediately. "Both Ms. Granger and I have been around Mr. Malfoy; Mr. Krum has not."

"Thank you, Mr. Potter, though, might I add that it is my belief that you are too personally involved to be a deciding vote. However, it is one for not guilty and one for guilty. Mr. Yaxley, I trust you will make the right decision. What is your vote?" Draco's heart was pounding as he stared at Yaxley; surely he would realize that Krum's letter was absurd?

"I feel as if you know what is best in this matter, Minister. I vote guilty."

"No!" screamed Hermione again.

"Ms. Granger!" Kingsley yelled at her.

Draco looked at Hermione. "Stop," he whispered to her. "It will be alright." He then turned to the Minister. "Minister, would I be able to counter this?" he asked, with as much confidence as he could muster. The truth was, he was almost shaking in fear.

"You will be sent to Azkaban pending a proper trial, Mr. Malfoy. Until then, this matter is over."

 **Harry Potter – Present Day**

 **March 17, 2000**

As soon as Malfoy was taken away, Harry rushed over to a sobbing Hermione. "Harry, he can't, he just can't! It's a lie! Krum is jealous!"

"I know, Hermione, shh," he said, trying to comfort her. "We'll fix this, just try and relax."

"But how? Draco is g-going to A-Azkaban!" she cried, even harder than before.

"Hermione, you need to calm down! You are the smartest witch I know, and there is nobody in the Ministry that knows the law better than you! Pull yourself together, head upstairs to our office, and find something that can get him out. If you find the legislation, I'll get him out, I promise!"

"O-Okay," she replied, trying to catch her breath. At this point, Ron had joined them and had put his arm around her.

"Do you need some help?" he asked her, though Harry knew he was only saying it to be nice. Ron was not the kind of person that would want to sit and go through books all day.

"No, thanks Ron, I-I'll be alright," she answered, wiping her face.

"Actually, Ron, there's something I need you to help me with," Harry said.

"Sure," said Ron. "What's that?"

"Ms. Granger," came Kingsley's voice, before Harry could respond to Ron. "Despite your emotions, I must ask that you contain yourself going forward during a hearing."

"Yes, Minister," said Hermione. Harry picked up a tone of voice that Hermione usually reserved for people that she hated.

"As for the rest of you, you would find out on Monday of course, but I thought I would be kind enough to inform you personally that I have hired a new secretary; Dolores Umbridge."

"You have GOT to be joking!" Hermione shouted.

"I am not, Ms. Granger. Contrary to what you may know, despite her crimes at Hogwarts, Ms. Umbridge has exceptional qualifications for the post and she has always been on the right side."

"The right side?" bellowed Harry. "Denying Voldemort's return puts her on the right side? Tormenting students puts her on the right side?"

"She was doing as the Ministry told her to, at the time. It is not her fault that the Ministry at that time was corrupt. Good help is hard to find these days and I require loyalty. Cruel as she may have been, she has served her time, and now that she is under proper Ministry protocol, I am certain that she will behave properly."

"You're a fool just like he was," Harry said. He made sure not to mention who _he_ was.

"Might I remind you, Mr. Potter, that I am the Minister of Magic?"

"I am not speaking to the Minister at this time," Harry responded promptly. "I am speaking to Kingsley Shacklebolt, the man I work alongside at the Order."

"Then speak to me as Kingsley at Headquarters only, and _only_ about matters that involves the Order!"

"What happened to you?" Ron asked, bewildered. "You used to be one of us."

"I will not dignify that with a response. Good day to you all; I shall see you at tonight's meeting."

Harry watched Kingsley walk away. "This can't be real," he said.

"I'm afraid it is. Harry, what are we going to do?" asked Hermione.

"We'll deal with it," he said confidently. "Go on and find something to get Draco released quickly. Ron, can you meet me at my flat in about twenty minutes?"

"Yeah, I can."

"Good; it's time we take matters into our own hands… Again!"

 **Hermione Granger – Present Day**

 **March 15, 2000**

Hermione had put the last piece of clothing into her bag and reached for the last thing that she owned: a crystal rose. Carefully securing it into her bag so that it would not break, she turned to leave but found her path blocked. "Vere are you going?" asked Krum.

"To the Ministry," she answered him coldly. "I need to find something to help Draco. Not that you care, of course, you are the reason he is in Azkaban, after all."

"Let me explain," he tried to say, but Hermione cut him off.

"There is absolutely _nothing_ to explain!" she yelled. "You lied out of jealousy, for no reason at all!"

"There vas a reason…"

"There bloody well was not, Viktor! You lied because you were jealous and now a perfectly innocent man is in Azkaban because you were afraid to lose me when you already had me!"

"I vas protecting my fiancée…"

"You were NOT! And I am _not_ your _fiancée_ , Viktor."

"Vell, once you accept…"

"Are you stupid enough to honestly believe that I would accept it after you did this? You must be mad!" She took off the ring and threw it at him. "Get out of my way; I am leaving!" She made it passed him and to the front door before he spoke again.

"Ven you haff calmed down, you vill understand my point. We can talk about it at dinner tomorrow night."

This time, Hermione actually laughed out loud. "At dinner _tomorrow_? Viktor, before you did this, I was trying to figure out how to politely decline your offer to marry you. Thank you for making this so much easier," and with that, Hermione walked out and slammed the door in his face as she did so.

 **Sirius Black – The Past**

 **June 2, 1978**

Sirius stared at the letter in his hands in disbelief. He had read it over four times already, yet he found himself reading it again. "What do you've got there, Pads?" asked James, as he approached one of his best friends.

"Its, uh, a letter from my mum."

"Your mum? But didn't she disown you?"

"She did," Sirius replied. "She even blasted me off the family tapestry."

"So then what the bloody hell does she want?"

"For me to get married."

"What?!" James grabbed the letter from Sirius and started to read aloud: " _Although you have proven to be a poor excuse of a son, your dear brother is too busy doing important work to worry about an heir and, therefore, I require you to produce one. You WILL marry the woman of my choosing and you WILL produce an heir that will be brought up properly. You shall receive correspondence on when you are to attend the engagement._ " James looked at Sirius with a dumb look on his face. "She expects you to show up at some engagement party and propose to a witch that you've never met?"

"I'm sure I've met her," Sirius said. "She's probably the daughter of some pure-blood Death Eater."

"What will you do?" James asked him.

"What do you think?" he responded, ripping up the letter. "If I were to marry, it would be because I found a love like yours and Lily's, not because I need to protect my bloodline."

"Then you're never going to marry, Pads!" James said, playfully hitting him on the arm. "I'll see you later, I'm off to meet Lily."

"Give her a wet one for me!"

"I will not!"

"She'll like it since it's from me!" Sirius called as James walked away. Sirius sat quietly and thought about the prospect of him being married. He had a quick flash of himself in a dress robe watching a veiled witch in white approach him. He quickly shook that thought from his mind; Sirius simply wasn't husband material.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** First and for most, I am Canadian and we celebrated Canada's 150th birthday this weekend (July 1st) So A. that explains my absence and B. Happy Canada Day to my fellow Canadians! I know Americans celebrate on July 4th, so enjoy your celebrations as well!

Now to the story: You can be certain that there will no longer be any more Draco-Hermione-Krum triangle; that is over! You may see Krum from time to time but not with Hermione (unless it's a flashback).

Kingsley is changing - This is going to change the plot quite a bit!

Umbridge is back.. Clearly THIS is going to change a lot too!

Draco is in Azkaban.. Basically I've thrown a lot at you this chapter!

(Sirius' flashback is going to have a significance as well!)

I'll leave you to your thoughts; I would love to hear them though!


	36. Awake

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Thirty-Six: Awake**

 **Harry Potter – Present Day**

 **March 15, 2000**

It wasn't very difficult for Harry to lift Ginny's light unconscious body and carry her down the stairs of Grimmauld Place. Once he reached the landing, he covered her with his invisibility cloak and apparated to his flat where he found Ron waiting for him. "What do you've got there?" Ron asked, as he watched Harry struggle through his front door.

"Your sister," Harry replied, as he finally made his way in and lightly placed Ginny on the couch.

"Why did you bring her here?" Ron asked, puzzled.

"Because we are going to wake her up."

"You know how?" Ron gasped.

Harry nodded. "I think so. Remember the Veil Sirius fell through? I think that's where they are. We need to bring their unconscious forms there and mutter the countercurse and, if I'm correct, it should wake them up."

"Brilliant, Harry! But how are we going to get everyone there?"

"That's the hard part. I figured that we would start with Ginny since she is smaller than the rest, and try to smuggle her in somehow."

"But the Veil is in the Department of Mysteries; How are we going to get in?"

"Boyd used to let me in to visit the Veil, remember? I know it's been awhile, but I'm hoping he will let me in again."

"Okay, so how do we get her into the Ministry?"

"I don't know," Harry replied.

"What if we transfigure her?" offered Ron.

"What?"

"Remember when the fake Moody transfigured Crouch into a bone? What if we transfigure Ginny into something small? Then you can smuggle her into the Ministry in your pocket!"

"I can barely transfigure objects; I wouldn't dare try it on Ginny."

"Well, I'm definitely rubbish at it."

"If we wait for Hermione then, maybe she can do it."

"Harry, we are _this_ close to waking up my sister; I don't want to wait."

"Nor do I, Ron, but I'm not going to risk something happening to her!"

"So, transfigure me, then, as a test run."

"No," Harry replied firmly.

"Oh, go on, Harry! I know you can do it, you just never give yourself enough credit. Now hurry and transfigure me already so that you can do it to Ginny next." Harry bit his lip for a moment but then pulled out his wand. He knew if he thought for too long, he would no longer have the nerve to do it. Pointing his wand at Ron, and thinking back to a lesson in his second year, Harry quietly muttered " _Vera Verto_ " and watched Ron change into a chalice. Taking another deep breath, Harry muttered the countercurse, and there stood Ron again.

"Ron!" he exclaimed excitedly.

"It worked!" Ron said, breathing a sigh of relief. "Quickly then, do it to Ginny and let's get going!" Once Ginny was a chalice and tucked safely into Harry's robe, the pair apparated to the Ministry and started to walk towards the Department of Mysteries.

"It's evening now," Harry whispered to Ron as they approached the lifts. "We really shouldn't run into too many people." They did, however, run into a witch on the lift whom they both despised.

"Potter, Weasley, what are you doing here?" came the perky voice of Rita Skeeter.

"We work here too, you know," answered Ron.

"Yes, but after hours? I'm curious to know what you are working on at this time of the evening!"

"We could ask the same about you," Harry said to her.

"The news never sleeps, dear! Anyway, I'm on my way up to welcome the newest employee! Or, rather, a returning employee. It's so exciting, isn't it?"

"If you're talking about Umbridge…" Ron started.

"Well, of course! This is going to make such a _wonderful_ story! Well, I must be off, ta ta!"

"The whole bloody world is going to know Umbridge is back now," Ron said to Harry once Rita was out of ear shot.

"Good, maybe they can help stop her from whatever it is that she's planning. Come on, let's get down there before Boyd leaves." The pair hurriedly made their way to the large door that lead to the Department, when they came face to face with an old, round, wizard. "Boyd!" Harry said, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Potter!" the wizard named Boyd said cheerfully. "And Weasley, isn't it? Aren't you one of Arthur's boys?"

"Yeah," said Ron, slightly disgruntled that he wasn't as recognized as Harry.

"What are you two doing down here?" Boyd asked, looking at Harry for a response.

"I wanted to see my Godfather's resting place," Harry said quickly. "I, uh, miss him." It wasn't a lie; Harry missed Sirius everyday, but it wasn't his purpose for being here today.

"Oh, I thought you were done grieving, Potter; you haven't come for a visit in quite some time."

"I've been busy with all this Grindelwald stuff," Harry replied.

"Ah, yes, of course. You see, Potter, with the recent break in and everything, though, I don't think I can let you in-"

"Please!" Harry interjected desperately. "It's like you've said, I haven't visited in quite some time and I really need to talk to him. I know he can't reply, but those whispers comfort me…" Harry felt stupid talking about emotions and things that he normally would never say, but his love for Ginny was encouraging him to go on.

"I, well, oh, alright, Potter, but you mustn't tell a soul! And I can't let anyone else come," he added, looking at Ron.

"I'll wait out here," Ron said.

"I don't know," Boyd said, scratching his head. "It might look suspicious having someone hang around out here…"

"Ron has work to do in our office anyway, don't you Ron? Perhaps I can meet you there when I'm done."

"What? Yeah, alright," said Ron, catching on. "See you soon."

"Thanks a lot, Boyd," said Harry, following him into the Department once Ron had headed back upstairs.

"No problem, but don't be telling anyone!"

"No, of course not!" They entered the room together that had the Veil, and Harry immediately started his descent towards it.

"I'll give you a half hour then, Potter," Boyd called out to him as he closed the door and left Harry alone with the Veil. Once Harry had reached it, he took the chalice out of his pocket and placed it carefully on the dais. Being extra careful that it wouldn't get too close to the Veil, Harry muttered the counter-curse, and Ginny was laying in place of the chalice. Harry took a few moments and thought of Sirius before he did anything else.

"Sirius," he said quietly, talking to the veil. "I know that you're in there. Help me wake up Ginny and the others; please! I promise I will find a way to get you out too." He listened to the whispers for awhile, trying to make out the voices. He strained his ears to try and pick out Ginny's voice, or George, or Remus, or Sirius, but all he heard were indistinguishable faint whispers. Sighing, Harry took out his wand and aimed it at Ginny. Fear was taking over his body, but he knew what he had to do. Steadying his voice, he pointed his wand at her, and as clear and precise as he could muster, said " _Arbadacarba!_ " He waited impatiently for something to happen. He thought he saw the Veil flicker a little faster in the invisible wind than usual, but after a few moments of nothing, Harry realized that it was just his imagination. Defeated, Harry sunk to his knees and placed his head in his hands. There was nothing else he could have done; has he really lost Ginny forever? His eyes stung as he pushed on them, but he didn't stop the tears from leaking out.

"Harry?"

He could hear her voice so vividly in his thoughts, as if she were right beside him…

"Harry…"

"Stop!" he screamed out loud. Hearing her voice was painful and he didn't want to hear it anymore. He jumped when he felt something cold touch his face. He looked up and saw the most beautiful witch he had ever met in his life. "G-Ginny?" he stammered, realizing who it was. "GINNY?"

"Yes," she whispered, smiling from ear to ear. They collapsed into each other's arms and embraced for a very long time. After what felt like forever, Harry pulled away.

"It's really you?" he asked her.

"It's really me," she replied, still smiling. "You did it, Harry!"

Laughing, since he didn't know what else to do, he grabbed her once more and pulled her to her feet. "Can you stand? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," she said.

"Okay, then I need you under the cloak for now. Let me get you out of here and we can talk once it's safe, okay?" She nodded, but before she allowed him to throw his invisibility cloak over her, she grabbed his face and kissed him for what felt like hours.

"You have no idea how long I've been waiting to do that," she said, as she allowed him to put the cloak over her, and started to follow him out of the room.

 **Ginny Weasley – Present Day**

 **March 15, 2000**

Ginny, Harry, and Ron left the Ministry quietly, and apparated to Grimmauld Place for the Order meeting that was scheduled for that night. The three of them had yet a chance to talk (other than a hug from her brother and a "welcome back"), when they arrived on the front step of Headquarters.

"It sounds like the meeting has already started," Ron whispered.

"You two go on in," Ginny whispered back. "I'll wander in soon enough." Laughing, Harry and Ron made their way into the meeting and closed the door. Ginny hung back for awhile trying to listen, but the door muffled the sound. Taking a very deep breath, Ginny pushed open the door and walked in. "Sorry I'm late," she said casually.

"That's alright, Ginny, dear," replied Molly, looking back to Kingsley who was speaking to the group. As if it had just dawned on her, Molly slowly turned her head back towards her daughter, her jaw-dropped. "Ginny!" she screeched, shoving people out of the way and grasping her daughter, tears pouring down her face. "My darling daughter! Is it really you?"

"Yes, Mum, it's me," she said laughing, happy to see her family again. Once all the tears and hugs were over, it was time for them to start answering the thousands of questions being thrown at them. Harry grabbed Ginny's hand and lead her to the front of the group.

"Kingsley, you can take a seat with the others," Harry said, talking to the man who was standing at the head of the room as if leading the meeting.

"I think I'm fine right here, Mr. Potter," he said back to him.

"Actually, the Order has no leader, remember? So you can join the others and sit down; it is my turn to speak."

"Harry!" said Molly Weasley, taken aback. "That's the Minister of Magic that you are speaking to!"

"Not in here, Molly. _Here_ , he is Kingsley Shacklebolt, and there is no leader _here_. You may take your seat now, Kingsley." Ginny looked at Harry curiously, but new better than to say anything at that point. What had happened while she was gone? Kingsley reluctantly took a seat, and Harry faced the group of people. "Hermione figured out how to properly use the counter-curse for Abracadabra. With Ron's help, we tried it on Ginny first and worked, and now we are going to wake up everyone else." At once, several questions were asked.

"How did Hermione figure it out?"

"What were we doing wrong?"

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"Will it work on the muggle?"

Harry held up his hands to get the room to settle down. "I know you all have plenty of questions, but it is better that very few people know how the spell works. That way, we can potentially eliminate the spell for good."

"But that sounds like you are making a decision for the group, Potter. I thought you just said that there were no leaders here?" Kingsley's tone was defiant. Harry, however, didn't seem to mind at all.

"I have decided to withhold what I know; that isn't making a decision for the group."

"I disagree."

"You do, do you? A pity that it doesn't matter," spat Hermione.

"If I may," Arthur interjected, before Kingsley could respond. "Harry is right in saying that nobody leads the Order. Kingsley and Harry are often at the front speaking since they know more of what happens at the Ministry, but that does not make either of them in charge. We are a team here, and all need to behave like one if we are going to succeed. Now, I agree that the way Ginny has been awoken should be kept a secret. A secret remains a secret when it is not spread. However, since nobody leads here, I think that the group should vote."

"Well, I am with Potter as well," said Minerva.

"As am I," Ginny added.

"Same here, Harry has always lead us the right way," said Hagrid confidently. Everyone, including Helen, had agreed that Harry should not reveal what he knew.

"Very well," said Kingsley. "Shall we continue on, then?"

"We can. I will be waking up the others soon; Remus and Tonks will need plenty of explaining to them."

"They can come to the Burrow; that's where Teddy is, after all, and Arthur and I can explain it all," said Molly.

"Very good," said Kingsley, taking over once more. "Andromeda will be released from St. Mungo's tomorrow as well, who can take care of her?"

"If she comes here to Grimmauld Place, I can stay and tend to her," offered Hestia Jones.

"Wonderful," replied Kingsley. "I suppose that sums up today's meeting," Kingsley concluded, but Hermione cut him off.

"Actually, that's your opinion, but since you don't lead, I think you should have a seat again and let others speak now." She gave him a wicked smile and turned back to the group. "Now, we know Grindelwald hasn't surfaced as of yet, but his followers are doing plenty of damage. Does anyone have any leads on who they are yet?" The group discussed Grindelwald and his followers for the remaining of the hour before finally parting. Ginny walked over to Harry and gave him a kiss.

"I'm going to the Burrow to spend some time with my family," she said to him. "They'll probably put me back under if I don't!"

Harry laughed. "Can I come with you?" he asked her. "Only, I think you're going to need my help lugging everything over."

"Lugging what?" she asked him, confused.

"You're moving into my flat with me," he said matter of factly. "We have to bring your things, don't we?" Ginny tiptoed and gave him yet another kiss; it felt great to be back.

 **Hermione Granger – Present Day**

 **March 23, 2000**

"What do you mean four months? My son cannot sit in Azkaban for four months!" Hermione was at Malfoy Manor explaining to Narcissa what she had found out. It turned out that the trial that Malfoy was entitled to was not scheduled until the sixth of July. IT was common for these trials to take about two months before being scheduled, but four months was almost unheard of.

"I agree with you, Mrs. Malfoy. Four months is much too long and I will do whatever it takes to get him out much more quickly."

"This is your fault, you silly girl. Had you not agreed to drag him around with you-"

"Then he would have been in Azkaban much earlier than now. Now, will you listen to me or should I just go?" Narcissa folded her arms across her chest but listened nonetheless. "I've read everything that there is on this matter, and there is something Draco can do, but it is literally our only option."

"And what is it?"

"If the prisoner or next of kin fills out a trial application, then the trial date will be moved to one month's time, as opposed to four."

"One month is still way too long!"

"It's better than four, isn't it?"

"I suppose you're right. So, have Draco fill it out then."

"Well, see, that's the thing. Draco doesn't know about this, so he isn't going to know that he needs to fill it out, and he isn't allowed visitors either."

"But we were allowed to visit Lucius!"

"That was when Lucius was going to be administered the Dementor's Kiss. Ever since that was retracted, you haven't been able to visit him, have you?"

Narcissa thought for a moment before responding. "Well, I am his next of kin, so I will complete it then."

Hermione frowned. "You are currently under watch by the Ministry and have yet to be released of your charges."

"So?"

"So, you aren't allowed to fill it out on his behalf."

"That's preposterous!"

"I do not make the rules!"

"So then what do you suggest, Ms. Granger? Draco has no wife or child; why would you come here and provide me with options that cannot work?"

"Because there is a way," she said slowly. "It's the only way I can possibly think of, but I'm certain it will work."

"Well? What is it?!"

"I can write it on his behalf as his next of kin."

"But you aren't… Do not tell me that you and Draco have wed?"

"No, we have not; we aren't even together, but the Ministry doesn't know that. We can pretend that we are engaged, and since engagements are done through a magical ritual that forces you to marry the other, it counts as next of kin."

"But that would mean that you must marry my son! How do you expect me to accept that?"

"Because it gets your son out of Azkaban, that's how! But don't you worry, since we haven't actually done the ritual, I won't actually have to marry him."

"Won't the Ministry know?"

"They cannot prove if a ritual was done; usually the proof comes when a witch or wizard attempts to wed someone else, because then the binding spell breaks and causes death to that person. Since Draco and I haven't actually gone through with it, there is no bond to break. All we have to do is say that we had people witness our ritual. So you, Harry, Ron… Anyone that we can trust that would say that we did it."

"I cannot see the Ministry simply accepting a witch or wizard's word; otherwise everyone would be doing it."

"Well, there _is_ one thing that they can prove," Hermione said.

"Of course, and that would be?"

"An engagement ring is commonly given to the witch. There is a spell that they can cast over the ring that tells them who gave the witch that ring. So as long as I wear a ring that was given to me by Draco himself, this plan will work."

"I don't suppose you have a ring from him?"

"No, I don't." The look on Narcissa's face was both pleasure and frustration. "But I do have this," Hermione said, pulling out the crystal rose. "He gave this to me for Christmas; if I can transfigure it into a ring, then I think it will work." Narcissa reached out for the rose and Hermione reluctantly gave it to her.

After a moment of examining it, Narcissa spoke. "My son really does have fine taste in crystals." Then, she waved her wand a few times around the rose and turned it into a beautiful crystal ring. "I've included the Malfoy sigil on the top of it; it makes it more authentic."

"Thank you," said Hermione, slipping the ring onto her fourth finger of her left hand.

Narcissa nodded to her. "Free my son, Ms. Granger."

 **Sirius Black – The Past**

 **August 12, 1978**

Sirius stumbled (quite literally as he had too much firewhisky) into the backyard of his uncle's very large house. Bottle still in hand, he chugged back its contents before discarding the bottle noisily in a nearby bush. He had just left the intimate wedding of James Potter and Lily Evans, or rather, Lily Potter now. He had never thought that any of his best friends would get married. Remus was a werewolf, and too careful to ever let a woman near him, Peter was too much of a coward to even speak to a woman, and James was, well, _James_. Sure, he had chased Lily all through school, but never had Sirius dreamed that Lily would finally give in and that James would settle down and marry her. Not that Sirius wasn't happy for them of course; it was actually kind of nice to see a love blossom and grow during the hideous war that was currently going on. Listen to him, _love blossoming_ , it definitely must be the firewhisky, he chuckled to himself. He stopped and peered through the bushes into the very busy garden. Sirius had not expected _that_ many people to turn up, but of course, nobody said no to Walburga Black. He had received his mother's letter last week, telling him that his engagement ceremony to a pureblood witch was to be today. Of course, Sirius had no intentions of going through with it, but the too many bottles of firewhisky that he consumed had made him curious to see who the ugly wench was. He peered through the bushes again towards the altar, but nobody was there. "Of course, you idiot," Sirius said loudly to himself. "She isn't supposed to come out until the ceremony."

"That's right, Sirius, so get inside so that we may begin!"

"Mum!" Sirius froze; he had no intentions on being seen. His plan was to simply peer at the witch for a bit of comic relief, not to actually go through with the ceremony. "I'm not doing it," he finally said, standing up tall, despite his drunken stupor.

"Oh yes you are, Sirius Black! You have brought enough shame on this family as it is, and as heir to our House, you _will_ marry this witch!"

Sirius laughed. "Mother, if you actually think I am going through with this farce…"

"I know you are. Otherwise, the entire Potter family, including that new mudblood bride of his - _oh yes, I know about the wedding_ \- will all die."

"Die? Are you admitting to murder, Mother?"

"Not yet I am not, unless you force my hand, Sirius. Now, get in there, or mark my words, Regulus and his friends will be paying a visit to the Potter's house." Sirius did not call his mother's bluff; he knew all too well what Regulus and his Death Eater friends were capable of, and the Potters were family to Sirius; he was not about to put any of their lives in jeopardy. He nodded curtly to his mother. "Good, now get inside there; we will be starting shortly." Sirius didn't say anything as he wandered inside the backyard enclosure. He saw his uncle Abraxas having a drink at a nearby table, and so he made his way towards him.

"Hello, uncle!"

"Sirius!" said Abraxas, choking on the sip that he just took. "What on earth are you doing here?"

"It is my engagement party, isn't it?" Sirius asked, taking his uncle's glass from him and chugging it down.

"Well, yes, but I didn't expect you to show up!"

"Didn't plan on it, but I also didn't want dear old Mum to kill my friends either."

"You're going through with it, then?"

"The engagement I am, but not the marriage."

"But you must! Surely you know how these rituals work?"

"If I'm engaged to the witch, I cannot marry another, otherwise I die. So what? I have no intentions of marrying anyone."

"You also cannot father a child or the spell binding you to your fiancée will kill you as well."

"I have no need for children, so I do not see a problem there either."

"So, you plan on tying yourself to a witch, putting these restrictions on yourself, and spending the rest of your life alone?"

"I won't be alone, uncle, I just won't be married or have kids. I'll still have my way with as many witches as I want!"

"Sirius, if you father one by mistake…"

"Not to worry, uncle!" replied Sirius, grabbing another drink from a nearby table. "I conduct the contraceptive charms myself, and I've become quite the expert."

"I don't like it, Sirius."

"What other choice do I have? I can't let the Potter's die!"

"No, you can't, and I don't suppose you'll just marry the witch then, and make everyone happy?"

"Everyone except myself, uncle. Now tell me, who is this ugly wench I'm to be engaged to, anyway? Pureblood of course?"

"Aye, twenty generations at least."

"I'm surprised she isn't from the Sacred Twenty-Eight."

"Of course, that's what your mother would prefer, but they all get taken as soon as they can walk and talk, don't they?"

"So this witch is…?"

"She lives in Macedonia, but her family is originally from here. They wanted their children to attend Durmstrang, so when she was born, her parents moved there so that they could be within the Durmstrang region."

"Typical pureblood," Sirius grumbled. "Does this wench have a name?"

"I believe her name is Iris."

Sirius snorted. "Iris and Sirius; that's not comical at all!"

"Iris Dartmouth," Abraxas finished, laughing a little at his nephew. "Eldest child to Gregory and Ophelia Dartmouth."

"Hopefully her siblings have more luck than she does," Sirius replied. "She'll be engaged but never married and forever alone." Sirius drained the last of his drink. "Well, best go ruin her life now. Enjoy the show, uncle!"

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Welcome back Ginny! Now that she is awake, she has a large storyline coming up!

To reply to a review: You'll shortly find out what house Grindelwald has been talking about (if you haven't figured it out already!) He's been on the back burner right now but he will be coming back strong shortly. Even though you haven't heard much about him right now, he and his followers have been actively attacking.

The next chapter will have a new perspective scene, as well you'll start to understand where Narcissa's head is at. Is she being nice to Hermione only because she is trying to help Draco? Did she support the Death Eaters? I start to put her character into perspective in the next chapter. There will also be an Umbridge scene. (Gotta start bringing that old bag into the story!)

Please keep reviewing; I enjoy reading them! Thanks as always!


	37. The Ritual Knot

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Ritual Knot**

 **Hermione Granger – Present Day**

 **April 7, 2000**

Hermione was shaking when she walked up to the door of Dolores Umbridge's office. She was not shaking in fear, but rather rage. The hatred that she had for this woman was beyond words, but she had no choice but to enter the office and do what was required of her. "Enter," came a voice that Hermione had hoped she would never hear again. Taking a very large breath, Hermione entered the office and closed the door behind her.

"I received your letter," Hermione said, trying with all her might to stay calm and polite for Draco's sake. "You wished to see me in regards to my fiancé's release?"

"Ah, yes, Ms. Granger. I've received your application for a hurried trial for Mr. Malfoy."

"That is correct; it is my right as his fiancée to apply on his behalf."

"See, that's just it, dear; I do not believe that you truly are his fiancé."

"I can provide witnesses who were at the ceremony-"

"People lie. No, I would much rather see your engagement ring."

"Sure," said Hermione smiling, extending her left hand to Umbridge. The short plump witch came around her desk and muttered a spell as she pointed to Hermione's ring. Within seconds, the name _Draco Malfoy_ could be seen hovering above the ring. "I believe everything is in order, then," said Hermione, pulling her hand free from Umbridge. "I suppose Draco's hearing will be this month?"

"That is how these applications work," said Umbridge. "I just require one more tiny thing from you."

"Which is what?"

"Your ritual knot, please."

"My what?"

"Your ritual knot," Umbridge repeated, her smile growing wide. "Surely you have one since you conducted the engagement ritual with Mr. Malfoy?"

"O-of course," Hermione stammered. "But it's at Mrs. Malfoy's Manor."

"Really? But it is always the females who keep it; it is tradition!"

"Yes well, I don't have it," Hermione said, thinking quickly. "I am a muggle-born as you know, these things aren't as important to me as they are to the Malfoys."

"I see. Well, I shall require it in order to process this application."

"Of course. I shall fetch it for you and return in the morning," responded Hermione, hoping that Narcissa could find a way to mimic one.

"I would much rather it today, Ms. Granger. I will accompany you to Malfoy Manor."

"Th-that really isn't necessary," Hermione stammered.

"On the contrary; I believe it is. Come along now, Dear, we shall use side-along apparition to get there."

"But Malfoy Manor is under the Fidelius Charm," said Hermione, incredibly thankful that this was true. "You won't be able to enter the Mansion but I can, I can run in and-"

"Be quiet you annoying girl!" Umbridge snapped at her. "Anytime someone is imprisoned, it is the Ministry's responsibility to search their primary residence. It just so happens that I was the one responsible to search the Manor, so Mrs. Malfoy has already given me access."

"But Draco's primary access was with me, not at the Manor."

"If I didn't know any better, Ms. Granger, I would say that you are trying to prevent me from inspecting your ritual knot."

"That's not it at all, Ms. Umbridge; I'm just concerned that protocols are not being followed properly."

"You may file a report if you aren't pleased."

"Don't worry, I will be." Umbridge gave Hermione a murderous look, but said nothing as she exited her office. Reluctantly, Hermione followed her and allowed her to side-apparate her to Malfoy Manor. When they arrived, Narcissa was waiting for them by the front door.

"How did you know that you had guests, Mrs. Malfoy?" asked Umbridge skeptically, probably assuming that Hermione had somehow tipped her off.

"I have enchantments around the manor that inform me when someone has arrived; one can never be too safe."

"No, they cannot," replied Hermione. "I apologise for this intrusion, Mrs. Umbridge had insisted."

"Of course I did! It is my responsibility to ensure that protocols are followed properly."

"Indeed it is; how may I help you, Dolores?"

"Ms. Granger claims to be engaged to your pureblood son."

"That is true."

Umbridge frowned briefly when Narcissa admitted to it, but continued her interrogation. "But she does not have her ritual knot."

"No, she does not. As you just pointed out, my family is of pure blood, not hers, therefore, I have the ritual knot kept safely here at the manor."

"You shall show it to me," demanded Umbridge.

"Very well," replied Narcissa. Umbridge started to follow Narcissa into the house, but Narcissa turned and stopped her. "I do not recall inviting you in, Dolores."

"I cannot allow you to transfigure something else into a knot while my back is turned; do you take me for a fool?"

"The term I would use is ignorant; a proper witch does not enter someone's dwelling without their permission. You may, however, follow me to my husband's study while I retrieve the ritual knot." Without a word, Umbridge and Hermione followed Narcissa into the house and towards the doors of the forbidden study. Narcissa gave them both a look that indicated they were not to enter the study, and she returned momentarily with a black marble box. Without a word, she handed the box to Umbridge, who greedily opened it. Inside, was what looked like a thick, black, velvet ribbon, folded over and over again to make a 3D triangle, and had the Malfoy crest at the centre.

"This cannot be!" said Umbridge, flabbergasted.

"Why can't it? Ms. Granger and my son are engaged; in front of you is the ritual knot that has tied them together. Surely, even you can see that it is the Malfoy crest in the centre."

Hermione smiled wickedly at Umbridge. "Shall we be receiving Draco's new hearing date this week, then?" The anger on Umbridge's face was a good enough answer for Hermione. "I shall look for your owl, then."

"You may see yourself out, Dolores," said Narcissa, pointing towards the door. Without a word, Umbridge turned on her heel and stormed out of Malfoy Manor.

"She's gone," said Hermione, peering out of the window and watching Umbridge disapparate.

"Draco will have a trial soon, then?" Narcissa asked her.

"Oh yes; Umbridge must follow suit with protocol now, she has no other option."

"Good."

"Mrs. Malfoy, how did you create the knot so quickly? Did you assume that she would come looking for one?"

Narcissa looked towards the kitchen. "I think I would like a cup of tea."

 **Narcissa Malfoy – Present Day**

 **April 7, 2000**

Narcissa slowly walked to Lucius' study and returned the ritual knot neatly into its box, then headed towards the kitchen. She could have conjured up the tea of course, but she needed some time to think. As she grabbed the kettle and cup, she realized that she should probably get a cup for Hermione as well. Though she has never done so before, Hermione is a big reason her son would be released from Azkaban, and it was the least that Narcissa could do. She walked back to Hermione with the tray in her hand and set it down in front of them. From the corner of her eye, she saw Hermione look at the second cup confusedly, but then decided to take it and fix herself a cup of tea as well. The women sat in silent for awhile; it seemed as though Hermione – although very persistent – was also very patient. Finally, after Narcissa had finished almost two thirds of her tea, she spoke. "Were you aware that Lucius had a brother?"

"No, I was not," said Hermione, quickly setting her cup down and eager to listen.

"Adonis Malfoy is the eldest by quite a few years." Realizing that Hermione was going to be a patient listener, Narcissa continued. "As I am sure you know, it is very common for pureblood families to promise their children to another pureblood family, preferably from the Sacred Twenty-Eight, at a young age. There were no eligible witches from the Sacred Twenty-Eight when Adonis was born, and so instead he was promised to a young girl from the Brown family."

"I know the Brown family; they have a daughter named Lavender that was in my year at Hogwarts."

"Then you probably know that they go back more than twenty generations of purebloods, which is quite acceptable for someone from the Sacred Twenty-Eight to marry."

"So Adonis Malfoy married a Brown?"

"Adonis Malfoy was _promised_ to a Brown – Isabelle Brown."

"Is that why his knot is still intact, then, because he never went through with the marriage?"

Narcissa nodded. "Do you know how the ritual knot works?"

"I think so," replied Hermione. "The wizard and witch are promised to one another in a ceremony, where the fabric magically loops around their arms and then folds itself up into a neat triangle, with the wizard's crest sewn upon it."

"That is correct, but there is more to it. The ritual also magically binds the witch and wizard to one another. In other words, should the witch or wizard wed someone other than the one they are promised to, _or_ have a child with another, they will die."

"Die?!"

"Yes; purebloods take marriage alliances quite seriously. It is important to ensure the bloodline stays pure and that there is an heir to continue it."

"So, did Adonis die then?" guessed Hermione, ignoring the way Narcissa looked at her when she said _pure_.

"No; had he or his promised died, the knot would disappear."

"What happened, then? I've read that if someone married their promised, then the knot would disappear."

Narcissa nodded. "Once married, the knot magically entwines itself between the pair and disappears into their soul. Adonis and Isabelle never wed."

"Why not?"

"As I said, most purebloods go through with these engagements as soon as possible to ensure the marriage occurs; I, for one, was seven years old when I had my ritual with Lucius. Isabelle had only been five, Adonis nine, when they had theirs. It turned out, however, that despite all their generations of pureblood status, Isabelle never received her Hogwarts letter."

"Isabelle was a squib?" Hermione asked, shocked.

"It is incredibly rare for a family with that many generations of purebloods to produce one, but it is not impossible. That is why most families fight for a descendant from the Sacred Twenty-Eight."

"So, the marriage was called off, then?"

"No; nothing, except death, can end an engagement."

"I don't understand what happened, then."

"Well, Adonis could not marry a squib, could he? He now teaches Charms at Durmstrang School."

"And Isabelle?"

"Who knows; out living the life of a muggle. One thing is for certain, though; neither have had a child and married someone else, otherwise the knot would have vanished and the guilty party would be dead."

"What if the knot was destroyed?"

"The knot cannot be destroyed, and whoever attempted to do so would also die."

"Oh." Hermione thought for awhile. "You're not like them," she said finally.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Like most purebloods, I mean. You're nice and kind."

Narcissa frowned. "Do not think you know me, Ms. Granger."

"But I'm starting to. You've helped me stay out of trouble with Umbridge…"

"For the sake of my son!"

"You helped Harry! You lied to Voldemort when he asked you if Harry was dead!"

"I am a mother and needed to ensure that my son was alive. Although I do not identify with the majority of the Death Eaters, I am not who you think I am. My tea is done and I shall retire to bed; you may see yourself out."

 **Harry Potter – Present Day**

 **April 9, 2000**

"I'm sorry that I couldn't wake you before your birthday," Harry said to George, as they entered Harry's flat.

"Don't worry about it, mate; I don't make a fuss over it anymore, not since…"

"Right." Harry knew that he was referring to the death of Fred, and he saved him the trouble of bringing it up.

"So fill me in, what's been going on?"

"Well, Grindelwald is at full strength; there's attacks breaking out everywhere. We've recovered a few people who had been put under the spell, though, instead of being dead like we originally thought. Remus and Tonks, for instance."

"No way! Did you wake them yet?"

"Not yet, I'm afraid I can only do it slowly as the mirror is in the Department of Mysteries and I'm only allowed in there under special circumstances."

"Surely Kingsley can-"

But Harry cut him off. "Kingsley isn't the man he used to be. Anyway, you're the second I've woken up so far; Ginny was the first."

"Ginny? She was put under?"

"By Grindelwald himself. But I much rather Abracadabra versus Avada Kedavra."

"Of course. So, I assume there has been killings?"

Harry nodded. "Plenty; he attacked St. Mungo's and we lost many people there."

"Blimey," said George, shaking his head in disgust. "Did _we_ lose anyone?" he asked, partially frightened of the answer.

"Just before the fight at St. Mungo's, we lost Essa."

"No!"

"It was quite tragic," Harry replied, not sure what else to say.

"Well, I'm eager to get back in and fight. Is headquarters still at Grimmauld Place?"

"Yeah, we are going there next, only, I wanted to ask you something first."

"Of course."

"Were you awake in the Veil? Like, could you _hear_ others in there?"

"I'm afraid not; it would have been nice, though, because then I could've figured out who else was still alive. But it was as if I was still asleep." Harry nodded, but the look on his face showed disappointment. "Any particular reason?" George asked him.

"I'm able to get you all out of there by bringing your body to the Veil. Sirius fell through the Veil; I know he's alive! But because I don't have his body, I have no idea on how to wake him up," Harry confided in George.

George placed his hand on Harry's shoulder. "I wish I could help you, mate, really. After everything you've done for me…"

"Don't worry about it," said Harry, shaking his head. "Come on, let's get going to Grimmauld Place, then. I'm sure Molly is dying to see you, and of course Angelina."

 **Sirius Black – The Past**

 **August 12, 1978**

Sirius walked towards the raised platform where his mother was expecting him. "What are you wearing?" she shrieked, as if she only just saw him now. She tapped her wand on his shoulder relentlessly, and his dress robes changed to a deep black velour with a large "Black" crest in the centre of his back. "Now, do NOT mess this up, Sirius, unless you intend to visit your friends in a coffin." Without a word, Sirius climbed the platform and looked out into the crowd in front of him. Apart from his uncle Abraxas, there was not a friendly face in the crowd. Frowning, he turned and watched his father stand on the platform behind him, then gestured to a man who was standing at the back of the room. It was customary for the wizard's father to perform the ceremony, and so Sirius assumed that his father was signaling the start of the engagement. Finally, a slim, medium height witch appeared in robes of deep burgundy, wearing a dark veil over her face. Sirius watched as climbed onto the platform and stood to face him, with her head down.

"There's no need to look away," Sirius whispered jokingly to her. "I can't see your face with that ugly veil you've got on." The witch never replied, nor did she move, but Sirius did feel a nasty blow on his left shin from his father giving him a nice kick. Sirius rolled his eyes, but remained silent as his parents wanted.

"Good evening honored guests," said Sirius' father, Orion, to the crowd of on-lookers. "Today we unite the House of Black with the House of Dartmouth. Iris of House Dartmouth has been promised to Sirius of House Black, and today we ensure that this promise is binding." Orion grabbed Sirius' right arm and held it out in front of him.

"Short and sweet, father," said Sirius quietly. "I see that we both want to hurry this along, then."

"Shut up, Sirius!" he whispered. "Ms. Dartmouth," he said politely, nodding to the witch. She held out her right arm and connected it with Sirius, like someone would do if they were making an Unbreakable Vow. Orion Black raised his wand and began to speak, and as he did so, a black velvet ribbon began to encircle around the attached arms. "Let it be known that from today onwards, Sirius of House Black and Iris of House Dartmouth are to be promised to wed and will join their bloodlines. Iris shall be a Lady of House Black and will provide the House of Black with an heir. Let this be witnessed in front of everyone present." Once Orion finished speaking, the velvet ribbon hovered over the pair and twisted itself into a 3D triangle, then fell neatly into Iris' arms, the "Black" crest visible at the centre.

"Really? That's it?" Sirius asked his father, knowing that the ceremony usually was much more longer than that. He watched Iris walk away and so he did the same, but came across his mother once more. "All done; can I go now?"

"I shall owl you when it is time for the wedding, and you ARE to attend, Sirius."

"Yeah, yeah," he said, turning to leave.

"You will give me the boy once you have him, Sirius," she told him.

"What boy?" he asked, confused.

"Your heir! It is the sole purpose of this engagement! I will not allow you to raise him; he will be raised properly in the House of Black."

"Whatever you say, Mother!" and with that, Sirius took off and headed towards the Potter mansion, the only place that had ever been a home to him.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Hello wonderful people! I hope you enjoyed this chapter; the ritual knot is going to come up quite a bit for more than one character so I thought it was important to explain it in detail.

Not much to say today; For Ginny fans, the next chapter is the start of something big for her, so stay tuned for that!

Hope you all have a great day and thanks as always!


	38. Ginny's Secret

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Thirty-Eight: Ginny's Secret**

 **Draco Malfoy – Present Day**

 **April 21, 2000**

Draco listened to Hermione defend him to the Minister of Magic from his guarded chair. Somehow, she had managed to get him a trial a lot sooner than he should have had one. He didn't know how she had managed it, but he was eternally grateful. Azkaban had been nothing like he had imagined. He knew what the cells looked like from his visit with his father, and he knew how eerie the effects of the Dementor's were, but nothing could have prepared him for what he had endured. The thought of living was actually a nightmare whilst in there; so many times Draco wanted to welcome death. He shivered at the thought of returning, and crossed every finger that he would not have to return. "And so, Mr. Krum was simply jealous when he found out that I was actually promised to Mr. Malfoy, and therefore couldn't marry him, which is why he wrote those untruthful facts."

"When did you have your ritual with Mr. Malfoy?" Kingsley asked her.

"Oh gosh, I don't remember the exact date," she replied. "It was a small ceremony you see, at Malfoy Manor. It was before his hearing though, probably a week or two prior."

"How did this ceremony take place if it was known that you were in fact engaged to Mr. Krum?"

"I was _never_ engaged to Mr. Krum! I will admit that I was dating him, but my heart always belonged to Mr. Malfoy. We didn't think that the Malfoys would welcome me, so Mr. Malfoy and I ended our relationship and I turned to Mr. Krum." Draco frowned at Hermione's words; he had no idea what she was talking about. He looked at his mother in the audience however, and saw her give him a very small nod. Clearly, Hermione and his mother had come up with a plan. "Eventually, Mrs. Malfoy gave us permission to wed, and so I went to tell Mr. Krum, but he proposed," Hermione continued. "I was in shock, which is why I did not say yes or no. I still needed Mr. Malfoy to have a safe place to live, and so I was going to tell Mr. Krum after Mr. Malfoy's hearing the truth. Before I could, however, he had learned about our secret engagement, and that's when he wrote the letter."

"You may step down, Ms. Granger," said Kingsley. "Mrs. Malfoy," he said, turning towards Draco's mother. "You can confirm that the engagement had indeed occurred?"

"Yes, Minister," she replied, standing up to face him. "In fact, Dolores Umbridge of your office inspected both the engagement ring as well as the ritual knot." Draco was confused; _Ritual knot_? How was that possible when they never actually had a ceremony? He watched Potter stand up to speak.

"As head of the Dobwig Association, it is my responsibility to ensure that no dark witch or wizard, nor their followers, be left freely among the rest of us. Although your opinion is highly considered," – he said this with a vicious stare towards the Minister and head of the Magical Law Enforcement – "it was my office that suspected Mr. Malfoy in the first place, my office who looked into his behaviour, and my office who should make the final decision. Based on the evidence provided, myself and my office are fully convinced that Mr. Malfoy is innocent, and I am confident that you will also agree."

Potter sat down again as Yaxley from the Magical Law Enforcement stood up. "I must say that I agree with Mr. Potter, Minister," he said, looking at Kingsley. "Mr. Malfoy is of no concern for my department, either."

After a very long pause, Kingsley Shacklebolt finally stood up and faced Draco. "Mr. Malfoy, my colleagues believe that you are an innocent man. Although I do not agree, the vote is against me. You will be free to go and your wand will be returned to you, however, you will still continue to be monitored until I feel that it is no longer required. You may go."

 **Hermione Granger – Present Day**

 **April 21, 2000**

Hermione and Draco clinked their glasses of firewhisky together at Malfoy Manor. Along with Narcissa, the three of them were celebrating Draco's release. Once safely at the Manor, Hermione and Narcissa filled Draco in with everything that they had done while he was in Azkaban.

"Since they think we are engaged then, do we have to go through with it?" Hermione could tell that Draco tried to make the question sound nonchalant, but secretly she knew that he was hoping that he would have to marry her.

"Of course not!" answered Narcissa right away. "They think the knot is yours and we will allow them to believe that for now. You will have to keep up the charade while you are under watch though, Draco."

"No problem," replied Draco, rather excitedly.

"Mrs. Malfoy," Hermione started, with a curious tone. "What will happen once they realize that Draco and I never actually went through with the ritual?"

"How will they find out?" asked Draco.

"Well, for starters, we aren't actually going to get married! And one day, we will each marry someone and have children. It's going to be pretty obvious that the ritual never happened since neither of us would be dead."

"At that point, Draco will no longer be under review, so it won't matter. But even if someone says something then, they cannot re-try Draco on a closed case. Besides, there is no paper evidence that you completed the ritual, just Dolores' word, so we make her out to be a liar."

"Or at least an incompetent witch who cannot do her job properly!" Hermione laughed. "I'm good with that!"

"But what about right now? Won't they expect Hermione and I to plan a wedding?"

Narcissa drew in a sharp breath, but then spoke. "You will say you are waiting to wed once you have been cleared of everything," she told her son. "Until then, you will pretend that you are engaged, and that is all." Hermione could tell that Narcissa did not like the fact that her son had to pretend to be engaged to someone like Hermione, but before she could say anything, Narcissa spoke again. "Thank you for your help, Ms. Granger. I believe it is time for you to leave, however. Schedule public weekly meetings with Draco to keep up the charade. Perhaps a cup of tea at the Three Broomsticks will work just fine."

Understanding that she was no longer welcomed at the Manor, Hermione stood and head to the door. "I'll meet you at Diagon Alley tomorrow for dinner, Draco," she said, slightly grinning at Narcissa's angered face. "People will expect us to be together after all, since you were just released from Azkaban. Have a good night!" She let herself out but then froze when she was at the apparition point. It only dawned on her now that she had nowhere to live. Tears rolling down her face as she thought of her parents and her old home, Hermione apparated to Grimmauld Place, where she would curl up in the old room that she used to share with Ginny, and hope that Harry would let her live there for awhile.

 **Ginny Weasley – Present Day**

 **April 21, 2000**

Ginny paced back and forth across the flat that she shared with Harry. Since she had been woken up, they had spent almost every minute together, locked in each other's arms. While Harry was at the Ministry for Draco's trial, Ginny had spent the day with Phlegm (she still couldn't bring herself to refer to her sister-in-law as Fleur). Phlegm had been bothering her to come over for a cup of tea since she woke up, so since she couldn't put it off for much longer, she decided to go today. Phlegm had spent the entire time talking about the baby that she was about to have. "Ze Healers say it could be any day, but it shouldn't pass mid-May," she had told Ginny. "You Weezleys have so many boys zat Bill zinks it will be a boy, but I know in my heart zat it is a girl." Ginny nodded as she rubbed her head. She has had a migraine for four days that just wouldn't go away. "Are you alright?" Phlegm asked her.

"This horrible headache just won't go away, it's starting to make me nauseous," Ginny told her.

"I know all about zat!" replied Phlegm, putting the attention back on herself. "Ze nausea is everyday and ze headaches make me so dizzy. Ze worst is when my feet are so swollen zat I can't even fit in shoes!" Ginny listened to as much as she could possibly handle before finally apparating back to the flat. After spending a few moments in the bathroom (the nausea was no longer just nausea) she sat on the couch and put her feet up. She couldn't figure out why she was so exhausted. At first, she thought it might have been because her body was asleep for so long that it wasn't used to her being active now, but it didn't seem very logical since it was only just starting now, not when Harry first woke her. She heard Harry walk in, but as she made to sit up, the room started to spin.

"Ginny!" said Harry, rushing to her side. "Are you alright?"

"Fine, just dizzy, very di-" Ginny froze; _oh dear_ , she thought.

"As long as you're okay," Harry said, not realizing that she hadn't finished her sentence. "Well, good news! Draco has been released! Hermione still needs to pretend to be engaged to him, but something tells me she doesn't mind." Ginny was only half listening to what Harry was saying. Surely, there couldn't be any truth to what she was thinking, yet a nagging voice inside of her was telling her that she knew exactly what was going on. "I'm off to the Ministry tomorrow to wake up Tonks," Harry continued, oblivious to Ginny's change in behavior. "I can't wait to wake up Remus, but Hermione thinks we should wait because we don't know how the werewolf inside of him will react, so she wants to do some more research first."

"Harry…" Ginny said, as realization started to hit.

"I think it will be fine as long as we aren't near the full moon, but-"

"Harry…" Ginny said again, a little louder.

"What?" he asked, finally realizing that she was speaking.

"Harry, I… I think I'm pregnant."

 **Lily Potter – The Past**

 **October 31, 1981**

It was a rainy day outside when Lily Potter woke up and looked out of the window. She had gotten up to get a crying Harry from his crib, only to see that James already had gotten up and went for him. "Hello, darling!" said James, as he came in and gave her a kiss, while little Harry reached out for her.

"Hello, James, hello my little Harry," she said, picking up her eldest child. "I didn't realize that it was going to rain today," she said, turning to James.

"It will probably stop later on," he responded.

"I hope so; I wanted to take Harry out and show him the muggles in their costumes for Halloween."

"Lily, I don't want you taking any risks, it isn't safe!"

"Just in the front yard! The fidelius charm goes right up to the fence, I'll be sure not to get anywhere near it. Besides, I want to spend as much time with Harry one on one before the new baby arrives."

James walked up to her and rubbed her very large belly. "It should be any day now, shouldn't it?"

"Yes, it should. Dumbledore is sending a Healer over tomorrow to stay with us until the baby comes. He doesn't want us to risk anything at all by going to St. Mungo's, so he's bringing everything to us."

"It will be fine. Harry's birth was very straightforward, I'm sure our second son's will be too."

"Or daughter," Lily said.

"Nah, I know it's a boy; I don't make girls."

Lily laughed. "Well, even still, we've agreed on Charles for a boy, but we should still have a girl's name decided in the off chance that it is a girl."

"You can pick it, then," James said, taking Harry from Lily and throwing him up and down in the air.

"I was thinking of Daisy," she said, grabbing Harry mid-air and silently scolding her husband.

"Daisy?" James repeated.

"Yes, I think so. Me and my sister were named after flowers and I thought it would be nice to continue that tradition."

"Sure, whatever you like," replied James. "It's going to be Charles anyway!"

"And we are agreed that Remus will be the Godfather?"

"Yeah; he's been down quite a bit lately. I think this would really cheer him up."

"It's settled, then. Will you tell him today?"

"I, uh, kind of already did."

"James!"

"Sorry, Lily! But he had a really hard transformation last moon and I really wanted to cheer him up!"

"I should scold you, James, but I won't."

James kissed his wife. "That's why you're the best!" He smiled sweetly at his wife and son. "I can't wait until we become four," he said, rubbing her belly again.

"Soon, my love," she responded. "Very soon."

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Where to begin! I suppose I will remind you all that as stated at the beginning of this story, I am staying true to the epilogue in Deathly Hallows entitled "Nineteen Years Later". With that said, keep in mind the date we are currently at in my story and let your mind wander from there!

Someone in a past review guessed that Lily had been pregnant.. I didn't reply obviously as I did not want to give it away, but great job on the guess; you were correct!

Next chapter focuses on Ginny's newest secret; enjoy!

Looking forward to your reviews; thanks!


	39. Three Engagements

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Thirty-Nine: Three Engagements**

 **Ron Weasley – Present Day**

 **April 22, 2000**

Ron had woken up really early and headed to Grimmauld Place to go through a few documents that Harry had left there for him. Both Harry and Hermione had found it quite odd that Grindelwald had escaped Nurmengard, and so together with Ron, they were trying to figure out exactly how he had done it. They knew that he was under the Abracadabra curse, but without a wand, he wasn't able to cast it upon himself, so he clearly had inside help. The only people that it could be, however, were those employed at the prison. Although the Order of the Phoenix didn't think it was important to determine who it was, (after all, they already knew that Grindelwald had several followers), Harry, Ron, and Hermione knew from experience that every little detail mattered when taking down a dark wizard, and so Ron started to look through the employee files that Harry had retrieved. He had only just begun however, when he heard a noise coming from upstairs. He quietly pointed his wand up towards the ceiling and muttered "Homenum Revelio". Instantly, he saw the shadow of three people laying in the chamber where Fred and George used to sleep. He knew of course that these were the sleeping vessels of Remus, Tonks, and the muggle girl. There was a fourth shadow, however, in the room where Ginny and Hermione used to share. Knowing that Andromeda was currently not at Grimmauld Place since she had a follow-up appointment at St. Mungo's, Ron could only assume that it was Ginny up in her old room. Had her and Harry had a go at each other? He made his way upstairs, prepared to comfort his little sister, only to discover that it wasn't Ginny, but instead, Hermione. "Hermione?" he said, more surprised than anything else.

"Oh, Ron, I didn't think anyone was here!" she made to hide her face, but Ron noticed that she was crying.

"Hermione, what's wrong?" he asked, stopping her from trying to wipe her tears.

"It's n-nothing, Ron, I'm f-fine," she lied, still trying to turn away.

"You're not bloody well fine, Hermione! Just tell me what's going on," he pushed.

"It's silly, really," she said, giving up and allowing him to hand her a handkerchief. "It's just that I-I have nowhere to go."

"What are you talking about?" Ron asked, confused. "You've got the Burrow and here at Grimmauld Place, and you know you're always welcomed at Harry's flat."

"I know I'll always be welcomed at those places," Hermione smiled weakly. "But none of them are my home. I suppose it's just hitting me that I don't have a home of my own."

"But you do have a home; it's where your family is and we are your family, Hermione."

"My family doesn't know I exist," she whispered, tears pouring down her face.

"Aren't you and Healer Martus working on fixing that?" he asked her.

"It's on our list, but we haven't started yet. Still, there's no guarantee that we'll be successful and, even if we are, I can't bring them here whilst Grindelwald is a threat; it would be like Voldemort all over again, what would have been the point in modifying their memories to begin with?"

"We will beat Grindelwald, just like we did with You-Know-Who. Until then, you've always got us, I promise."

"Thanks Ron, I appreciate it, I really do, but it's hard not having my _own_ home with my _own_ stuff. I'm using your mother's towels at the Burrow, she's planning what's for dinner, I'm sleeping in a room that she's decorated! It's just not the same as having your own place."

"I was going to tell you eventually, so I may as well tell you now."

"Tell me what?"

Ron heaved in a big sigh. "You _do_ have your own place."

"What are you talking about?"

"Remember your van full of stuff? I didn't just want to leave it where anyone can touch it…"

Hermione gasped. "You still have my stuff?"

"Of course I do! What did you think I did with it? Throw it out?"

"I don't know what I was thinking, really. Perhaps your dad got into it not knowing what it was, or your mum throw it out thinking it was rubbish. Perhaps you tossed it because…"

"Because I was angry with you for kissing Malfoy?" Ron finished for her. Hermione looked ashamed, but nodded. "I _was_ angry, Hermione, but I also know what those things mean to you; I would never have tossed them."

Hermione was crying again, but this time it was of happiness. "Where are they, Ron? Oh, thank you so much! To know that I still have a piece of home…"

"You have more than a piece of home, you _have_ a home."

"Ron, I appreciate your gesture, but-"

"Just come with me," he interrupted.

"What? Where?"

"I told you, to your home."

"Ron…"

"Just come on!" Ron walked out of the room and towards the front landing before she could try and argue with him. As he had hoped, Hermione had followed him. He took a hold of her hand and without saying a word, apparated the pair of them to a familiar place.

"Where are we?" Hermione asked, as they landed at the end of a small lane. "This place looks so familiar; it's like I've been here before."

"You have been here before," son Ron with a smug look on his face.

"How do you know?"

"Because I was with you."

"But-"

"Just look around and think, will you?"

Hermione didn't respond but instead did as Ron had asked. She walked a couple of paces to a nearby street sign. " _Griffin's Lane_ ," she read aloud. She turned around and noticed a dainty inn in the distance. "Ron, this is…"

"If I remember your words correctly, your dream home." He walked towards the small little cottage that Hermione had fallen in love with, and produced a key. Astonished, Hermione watched him unlock the front door. "Are you coming in?" he asked her, when she hadn't moved. She finally stepped into the front door and looked around. A lot of the cottage had items that she didn't recognize, like a pastel green couch and a brown wooden rocking chair. But there were many things she did recognize, like the framed photo on the wall of her with her parents, as well as a crystal vase on the table that had belonged to her mother.

"Ron, how…?" was all she managed to say.

"I contacted the realtor the day after we saw it," he started to say. "I knew you wanted it and so I bought it," he shrugged.

"But how could you afford it?"

"Harry," he said, looking down. "But I've paid him back now; he deducted money every week from my pay at the Dobwig Association until I paid back the amount that I had borrowed from him for the down payment. He didn't want to of course, but I told him that I had to do this on my own, not just accept money from him. I pay the payments every month to the muggle bank now; Gringotts exchanges the sickles for me." Ron saw the tears building up in Hermione's eyes, so he continued talking before she could have a good cry. "The van is in the garage; it was probably the hardest part since I haven't a clue on how to drive it! Anyway, here's your key," he said, handing her the key that he had just used to unlock the door.

"I can't accept this," she finally had the ability to say.

"Of course you can, I bought it for you!" He noticed her eyes glance towards a picture of him and her on the opposite wall. "Oh, uh, I decorated the place when we were still together so, uh, there's some of my stuff here too," he said, looking at his feet. "I'll clear it away, of course, at the time I had just assumed that it would, uh, be us living in here…"

Hermione smiled, and then almost knocked him over when she flung herself into his arms. "Thank you," she cried into his shoulder. "Ron, thank you, I have no words!"

"No problem," he managed to say as he was trying to breath.

"You'll transfer the payment responsibility to me," she said, finally letting go of him. "And you'll tell me what I owe you for the down payment; I will pay all of it back."

"No, that isn't what I want," said Ron, but Hermione cut him off.

"Well, it's what I want. Now, how many bedrooms are there?" she asked him.

"Three," he answered. "There's the main bedroom, then the guest bedroom, and I set up the third one as an office for you."

"Then I shall move my items out of the master and that shall be yours, and I'll go into the spare room."

"What do you mean?" asked Ron, confused.

"You bought this place for us, Ron," she said. "Even if we aren't, well, _together_ anymore, it doesn't mean that we both still can't live here."

"You want me to move in?" he asked her, astounded. "Of course! And don't worry about changing anything; we are friends that live together, so a few photos of us together have no harm at all!"

Ron stood there in shock for awhile before finally speaking. "I'm not taking the master bedroom though; that's yours and I won't argue about it. I'll take the spare and we can _both_ continue to make the payments on the house."

Hermione smiled. "Fine, but I'm paying half of what you've already paid back to you."

Ron stretched out his hand. "Deal, roommate!" he said, waiting for her to shake his hand.

Hermione laughed and knocked his hand out of the way as she hugged him again. "Thank you Ron, you really are a great friend."

 **Harry Potter – Present Day**

 **April 29, 2000**

It was only about a week ago that Harry had taken Ginny to St. Mungo's to get tested, and sure enough, Ginny was indeed pregnant. After using the week to process everything in his mind, he came to the decision that he had to do the only sensible thing that there was; marry Ginny. Of course, his intentions had always been to marry her, but he had hoped to do it on his own terms and not like this. Nevertheless, last night, he got down on his knee, pulled out his mother's ring, and proposed to Ginny in the flat that they shared. She was, of course, thrilled, and believed him when he explained that he had wanted to do this all along, regardless of the pregnancy. But now it was time to do the hardest part of all: ask her father for permission. Harry had apparated to the Burrow early that morning, hoping to catch both Molly and Arthur. Just as he had wanted, he encountered Molly alone in the kitchen. "Hello, Molly," he said, as he walked in.

"Harry, Dear, what a surprise! How are you?"

"Fine, just fine, thanks. I was hoping we could schedule a dinner tonight?"

"Here, Dear?"

"Yeah, I figured it's a Saturday, so most people should be home."

"Why not!"

"Great! I was just thinking we should invite those we are close to, so all the Weasleys, Hermione, Hagrid, and such."

"I'll send owls right away, Dear! What's the occasion?"

"It's a bit of a surprise, really."

"But how do I know what kind of cake to bake, then?"

"Chocolate is fine," said Harry, not knowing what else to say. "Where's Mr. Weasley? I would like a word with him."

"In the shed, but I need to know what shape to make the cake; simple cakes bring down the mood, don't you think?"

"Uh, yeah, okay… Um, a heart would be fine, then."

"A heart?" repeated Molly, sounding disappointed.

"Yeah, a heart will be great. See you tonight, then!" he said, and hurried off towards the shed before she could ask him anymore questions. "Mr. Weasley?" Harry called out, once he entered the shed.

"Harry, m'boy! How are you?" he responded, clapping Harry on the back once he got near him.

"Great, yourself?"

"As good as I could be, I suppose. I'm trying to understand how these fellytones work, but don't you tell Molly!"

Harry laughed. "Don't worry, I won't."

"So, to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

Harry froze; it was now or never he supposed. "I've asked Molly to organize a small dinner party tonight," he started, trying to find the nerve to ask what he needed to ask.

"Oh? Is there something to celebrate?"

"Yes," Harry said plainly. Mr. Weasley looked at him curiously but did not speak. "See, I was wondering if, er, you would g-give me Ginny's hand…"

Arthur dropped the telephone that he was holding in his hand. "You wish to marry my daughter?" he asked. The look on his face was impossible for Harry to read.

"Er, yes," was all Harry could muster.

"And this celebration is to let the family know?" Arthur asked. Harry nodded. "Which means," continued Arthur, "that you have already asked Ginny and I would presume that she said yes."

"I wanted to ask you first, I swear," he blurted out. "But I think Ginny was catching on and I wanted it to be a surprise and-"

Arthur raised his hand to silence Harry. "Had it been anyone else, Harry, then I would admit that I would have been cross. She is my only daughter, after all." Arthur and Harry stood quietly looking at one another until Arthur beckoned to the chair behind him. Harry took a seat as Arthur followed, and after what felt like ages, Arthur finally spoke again. "You have done more for this family then anyone I know, Harry. You have saved my life, you have protected Ron, you have awoken two of my children, and that is only the tip of the iceberg. Harry, you have always been family to us, and now is the chance to legally make you my son."

Harry blinked quickly out of nervousness. "You mean you're not mad?"

Arthur laughed. "Of course I'm not mad! I would be honored if you would marry my daughter."

"Really?"

Arthur nodded. "She is a little young, I must admit, but I know you two are right for each other, and there's no rush or anything, is there? Engagements can last years!"

Stomach turning, Harry chose to ignore the latter of what Arthur said. "Thank you, Mr. Weasley," was what he chose to say instead. "Really, thank you."

"Harry, I think it is time to call me Arthur. Now run along to your _fiancée_ ; I believe I have a dinner to help my wife set up."

"You won't tell her?"

"It is not my place to tell anyone. She will be thrilled though, Harry, truly. I shall see you tonight."

Sighing a breath of relief, Harry apparated back to their flat to an anxiously awaiting Ginny. "I've got his permission and your mum is setting up a dinner! She doesn't know of course, but she will soon enough."

Ginny kissed him passionately out of excitement, and then released him to look down at the new ring on her hand. "I suppose I should act surprised then, when you _propose_ to me at dinner," she said, slipping the ring off temporarily and giving it to Harry so that he could place it back on her finger later tonight.

"Actually, your dad figured out that I've already done it. He didn't mind though!" he added, seeing the look on Ginny's face. "But we will announce it at dinner, so maybe it's best for me to keep the ring for now so that nobody sees it on your finger until we are ready to tell them."

Ginny nodded in agreement. "And what about this?" she asked, placing her hand on her flat (but not for long) stomach.

Harry's stomach turned but he tried to ignore it. "We'll figure that out when we need to. For now, it's just about our engagement."

"Okay."

"Ginny, you know I want this, right? I would be lying if I said I planned it for now, what with Grindelwald and everything, but eventually I _did_ want to marry you and have children."

"I don't doubt it for a moment," Ginny said smiling, then, wrapping her arms around his neck, she pulled him onto the couch where they were able to celebrate on their own first, before tonight's dinner.

 **Ginny Weasley – Present Day**

 **April 29, 2000**

Ginny ate until she could not eat anymore; she was surrounded by the majority of her family and friends and loads of her mother's cooking. Included at the table set up in the yard of the Burrow was a very pregnant Phlegm, a happy George and Angelina finally reunited, a healthier looking Andromeda and her grandson Teddy, Jessica and a fully recovered Amelia, all of her brothers including Charlie, her parents of course, Hagrid, Hermione, and, oddly enough, Draco. Ginny got up from the table to stretch her legs and was encountered by Hermione. She looked around to ensure that everyone else was busy in their own conversations, before asking why Draco was there.

"We're supposed to be engaged now, remember?" answered Hermione, twisting the ring on her finger. "Which means I need to bring him to things like this; the Ministry is watching!"

"But you aren't _really_ engaged."

"No, but we have to play the part for now. Draco is enjoying it a bit too much, though."

"Don't act like you aren't either, Hermione!"

Hermione blushed. "Maybe a little; but there is no way I am getting involved with him _again._ I need a break from all these men and their drama!"

Ginny laughed. "That's why you moved in with Ron!"

"It's not like that!" she said, playfully hitting Ginny on the arm. "Anyway, enough about that; what is this dinner about?"

"You'll see," said Ginny, as she walked away from Hermione and took her seat again beside Harry.

"Shall I bring out the cake?" asked Molly.

"Just one moment," said Harry, standing up. "Er, as you all know, I asked you all here because I, uh, wanted to show you something." Confused at where Harry was going with this, Ginny looked towards him and attentively listened. Everyone else at the table was doing the same thing. He put his hand in his pocket and pulled out her engagement ring. "This ring belonged to my parents; it has been in the Potter family for generations and it was the ring that my dad proposed to my mum with." Harry looked at the ring in silence for a moment before continuing. "Anything from my parents mean a lot to me, given the circumstances."

"I remember your mum wearin' that ring, Harry," said Hagrid.

"You do?" asked Harry, excitedly.

"She was right proud of it, she was," Hagrid continued. "I'm glad you were able to get it in your hands."

Harry nodded. "It's not for _my_ hands though, is it?" he asked out loud. "This ring belongs to Ginny, and uh, it's the reason you're all here right now." Silently, Harry turned to Ginny and once again put the ring on her fourth finger of her left hand. Realizing Harry wasn't going to say anything else, Ginny spoke.

"Harry proposed to me last night and I said yes." As if on cue, all the gasps and claps started. Soon, both Ginny and Harry were swarmed with hugs, and Hagrid could be heard blowing hard into his tablecloth-sized handkerchief.

"Oh I knew it!" cried Molly. "I knew you two would get married!"

"Welcome to the family, Harry," said Bill, shaking Harry's hand.

Once the commotion settled down, Ginny turned to Hermione. "Looks like we'll both be planning weddings now." Ginny laughed at Hermione's expression, and even harder at the look of excitement on Draco's face.

"It's time for cake, I think!" said Molly, still wiping tears off of her face.

"Well done, Harry," said Percy, once everyone was settled back into their seats eating Molly's delicious cake. "Ginny, should you need any advice, do not hesitate to owl Audrey."

"That girl you said you were seeing?" asked Molly. "You met her at the Ministry, wasn't it?"

"Assistant to the Head of International Magical Cooperation," Percy answered proudly.

"Does she plan weddings on the side, then?" asked Angelina.

"Only ours," answered Percy nonchalantly. "But I must say she has quite the knack for it."

"Yours?" said Molly, spraying her butterbeer everywhere.

"We are getting married next month, didn't I tell you, Mother?"

"Married? Next month? No, you bloody well didn't tell me!"

"Oh, well Audrey will send out the invitations shortly, so you'll know all of the details."

"Invitations? Percy, I am your mother!"

"Which is why you'll be there of course!"

"WE HAVEN'T EVEN MET HER!"

As Molly and Percy continued their row, Ginny turned to her fiancé. "Never a dull moment at the Weasley house, is it?"

"No," Harry laughed. "But I'm thankful he's taken the attention off of me." Ginny laughed and put her arm through his. The first of two steps was over, but soon it would be time to deal with the harder one; announcing her unwedded pregnancy. She looked around the room again and shrugged to herself. If Percy could get away with a secret engagement, maybe she could pull this baby thing off after all.

 **Remus Lupin – The Past**

 **October 31, 1981**

He had apparated James to the cemetery immediately and asked for the staff to prepare him for burial. There was no need to have a Healer see to him first; although it was the norm, there was no denying what had killed James Potter. When he returned to the house, he took a moment to place his hand on Lily's stomach. His Godchild wasn't even given a chance at life. He sat there crying for hours when he suddenly felt a small kick. Flinching, Remus removed his hand and stared at Lily's stomach. Surely there was no way for the child to be alive? After a moment of hesitation, he placed his hand on her stomach again, only to feel two more kicks. Excited and scared at the same time, Remus made to reach for his wand to apparate Lily to St. Mungo's, when it was kicked away from him by Sirius Black.

"You!" screamed Remus, staring at his old best friend. "How could you? _How could you_?"

"Remus, listen-"

"No, I won't! You may have killed them, but their children live, and I will not allow you to hurt Harry and my Godchild!"

"The baby… The baby lives?"

"Get out of my way, Sirius; I am not afraid of you! I am taking Lily to a Healer and I am saving this child!"

"No," said Sirius, although he was stumbling his words. "Owl a Healer and have them come here, but don't move Lily."

"You truly are mad! First you have them killed, and now you want a baby to die?"

"Remus, I didn't have them ki-"

"I am taking her to a Healer; you've done enough, now move."

"No," Sirius said more firmly. "You need to owl them and have them come here, you cannot move Lily."

"Owl them? _Owl them_? By the time they get here, the baby will have died! I do not have time to owl them!"

"Then I will. Trust me Remus, you'll understand one day."

"Sirius, please!"

" _Petrificus Totalus_!"

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** LOVE all the reviews! Thank you so much, they truly make my day! So, let's talk about this chapter. Nothing too big in this one, except that Harry's sibling was alive in the womb after Lily perished (if the baby is alive now I will not tell you; you will eventually find out!)

Next chapter ends with a bit of a cliff hanger, followed by what I think is a sad flashback.

Lets reply to some reviews: In terms of Ginny's baby, I won't say anything except that James was born in 2004. In terms of how Harry acted, he truly had no idea what was going on.. I hope this chapter helps explain his view a little better and yes, Harry truly does care about Ginny! To answer the question about Yaxley.. This Yaxley is Rubin Yaxley who is a member of the Yaxley family but not the Death Eater (that was Corban Yaxley) which is why Rubin was never imprisoned (the point is to show that not all Death Eater's families participate in the dark magic) Also, he never defended Draco because he has no connection to the Malfoys; he simply supported whatever he felt was right or wrong, it doesn't matter to Rubin which family someone belongs to. There will be more about the Malfoys in time (for instance, we will find out who that intruder was and what they were after) The ritual knot - the idea kind of just came to me, I can't really explain how. I just feel that pureblood "toujour pur" families would want a magical way to ensure that their bloodlines stay pure and there's no chance of mixing blood, etc. I won't speak about Draco and why he was or wasn't set up to have a ritual knot with someone because you will eventually find out. Astoria comes from the Greengrass family so yes, she is part of the Sacred 28.. She will eventually enter this story.

Okay, I think I answered all of the reviews! Thank you so much, keep them coming!


	40. Voldemort's Old Habits

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Forty: Voldemort's Old Habits**

 **Harry Potter – Present Day**

 **May 3, 2000**

"Now remember, Teddy has no idea who you are. We have been telling him that his mummy and daddy were coming to get him, but I am sure it is all very confusing for him."

"Of course, I understand, I just _need_ to see him, Molly."

"Absolutely, Dear, right this way." Harry listened to Molly take Tonks through the Burrow to the room where Teddy slept. A lot had happened in the few days since his engagement announcement to Ginny. First, after Percy's surprise wedding announcement, Molly literally ordered Percy to bring Audrey to the Burrow for everyone to meet prior to the wedding, so yesterday, May the second, everyone gathered at the Burrow once more to meet the almost new Weasley. The meeting had not lasted long, however, when Fleur went into labor and was rushed to St. Mungo's with Bill and Molly in her wake. It was only a few hours later when they received the news that Fleur had delivered a healthy baby girl. Since it was also the anniversary of the Hogwarts battle, they were told that Bill and Fleur decided to name their daughter Victoire, which was French for _victory_. The news had brought so much happiness to everyone at the Order, that Harry felt he needed to help keep the happiness in place. So the next day, he transfigured Tonks, brought her to the Ministry, and woke her up. After more wonderful happy tears from everyone, she was finally brought to the Burrow to be reunited with her son once again. Harry left Tonks with Molly for the reunion with Teddy, and instead made his way to the kitchen.

"Hey, Harry," came the voice of one of his best friends, Ron.

"Surprised to see you here," Harry said to him.

"Why?"

"I expected you to be at your new cottage."

"I live there, but my girlfriend lives here."

"And you don't bring her there because…?"

"Because mum doesn't think it's a good idea for Jessica and Amelia to travel just yet."

Harry laughed. "So it has nothing to do with the fact that you live with Hermione?"

"No, Harry! I bought that cottage when Hermione was my girlfriend because she wanted it, and although we aren't together anymore, I see no sense in wasting a perfectly good cottage."

"I see," was all Harry could say. It sounded like Ron was trying to convince himself more than he was trying to convince Harry. "And Jessica has no problem with all of this?"

"Of course not; she knows Hermione and I are only friends. Besides, Hermione is engaged."

"Not for real."

Ron lowered his voice. "Well, I didn't exactly tell her that, didn't see the point."

Harry laughed again. "It's your funeral, mate."

"Oh, are you dying?" asked Jessica, as she entered the room.

"Of splattergroit; wouldn't be the first time, would it, Ron?"

"Wizard stuff?" asked Jessica, clearly not wanting to know the details if it was.

"How's Amelia?" Harry asked her instead.

"Great; she's gotten really attached to Teddy though, I don't think I'll be able to ever separate them."

"Well, sounds like it's settled; you and Amelia will have to stay here forever, then, for the sake of Teddy, of course."

"Oh, of course!" replied Jessica sarcastically, sitting on Ron's knee and going in for a kiss. Reluctant to witness a private moment, Harry looked for a distraction and picked up a nearby Daily Prophet. Had Harry been drinking anything, he would have spat it out all over the paper after reading the headline above a photo of Voldemort: _He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named: A teacher, an ally, and a Horcrux_. Noting that the author was Rita Skeeter, Harry groaned and turned to the page where the story began, and started to read:

 _There is no denying that the infamous He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was indeed a dark and notorious wizard, but Mr. Henry Hughes, 51, says that there were some positive traits to the Dark Lord. "Of course he was evil," said Hughes, from his home last night on the outskirts of Hogsmeade. "But we can't deny that he taught us 'lots, with all the knowledge that he had." When asked what he meant by "us", he confirmed that he was never a Death Eater, simply someone who had learned from his tactics. "He brought the topic of Horcruxes to the surface, didn't he?" continued Hughes last night. "If it weren't for him, folk like me wouldn't know that we can preserve our lives for as long as we want." Hughes also went as far as to say that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was an ally. "He was an ally in preventing death; now we all know the secret." When reminded that creating a Horcrux involved killing someone, Hughes commented that he wouldn't make one. "It's just good to know, ain't it?" he said to me, famous reporter Rita Skeeter. "If I were to make one, I would use his body, who would want to go near that?" He confirmed that he was referring to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named directly, and that he knew exactly where the body was put to rest. "Of course I know, but I can't say, can I? Horcruxes aren't illegal, only killing someone is, but I'll find a way around it for sure." It was hard to determine exactly how Mr. Hughes knew the location of his "ally", but it does confirm that the release of the Horcrux information has indeed had an impact on several people in the community._

"You've got to be kidding me!" said Harry, throwing the newspaper back on the table. "I _knew_ that this would happen!"

"What's up?" asked Ron, taking a break from snogging Jessica.

"Rita Skeeter released all that information about Horcruxes in her book and now people are trying to do them left, right, and centre!" Ron walked over to the article and read it silently to himself.

"He can't really know where You-Know-Who's body is, can he?"

"Of course not! I had it destroyed after the battle."

"Oh, right. But Rita's book never said how to make a Horcrux, so how do people know?"

"Nobody knew what a Horcrux even was until she wrote about it," said Harry angrily. "Obviously people were intrigued and went and did their own research on it. This is horrible! We are going to have bodies upon bodies of people attempting to make Horcruxes now, and we still have to deal with Grindelwald and his gang of followers terrorizing the city!"

"What's a Horcrux?" Jessica asked.

"It's when you insert a piece of your soul onto something else by killing someone," Ron answered blatantly.

"Forget I asked," was her response. "I'm going to go check on Amelia." Jessica left the room just as Hermione entered it.

"Hey, what's going on?"

"Did you see Rita's latest article?" Harry asked her, shoving the paper into her hands. Hermione read the article quietly to herself, except for the gasps here and there. When she was done, she placed the paper down and looked at both men.

"What do we do now?"

"I don't know," Harry replied. "We knew from the moment that she published that book that there would be trouble."

"I don't know, but we need to stop this."

"What if we release a statement? We can tell people why they are illegal and dangerous…"

"Hermione, that's not going to stop people from doing it!" said Ron.

"It will stop _some_ , Ron! Right now, all people know is that they can prevent death by making a Horcrux. Whether we like it or not, Horcruxes have been leaked and there's nothing we can do. What we can do, however, is educate everyone with the facts, the _true_ facts, and explain why they're horrible. At least we can deter most from trying it."

"And give the others more of a push to do it," Harry said bitterly.

"What other choice do we have?" asked Hermione.

Harry shrugged. "Go ahead and organize it; the sooner the better I suppose."

 **Hermione Granger – Present Day**

 **May 11, 2000**

Hermione stared out into the crowd of people that were gathering around the podium at the centre of the Ministry of Magic. She saw several reporters and photographers, Xenophilius Lovegood, editor of The Quibbler, and to her horror, both Rita Skeeter and Dolores Umbridge. She also noticed the muggle correspondent was present, as well as the entire Wizengamot, the Sacred Twenty-Eight, and nearly one hundred other witches and wizards. "Are you alright?" asked Harry, as he joined her near the podium.

"Not really," she responded honestly. "How do you openly talk in front of all of these people?"

"Easily; I just say what I need to say and don't care what people think," he said shrugging.

"Well, you're Harry Potter, things come easily to you."

Harry cocked an eyebrow. "Really, Hermione?"

"Well, no, I suppose not. But still, I wish I could have your confidence!"

"Would you like me to start for you?"

"Would you?" she said, looking at him desperately.

"Sure."

"Oh, thank you, Harry! Thank you so much!" Before Harry could walk up to the podium, however, they saw Kingsley Shacklebolt walking towards them.

"Mr. Potter, Ms. Granger, what is going on here?"

"We are releasing a public statement," Harry responded coldly.

"My office has no knowledge of this."

" _Our_ office is allowed to make public statements without approval; we created those terms together, Minister," said Hermione matter-of-factly.

"Regardless, if something is being released, especially at this time-"

"Do you need to approve what Rita Skeeter prints in the Daily Prophet? Because maybe you should; her latest article is the reason we are being forced to do this today," Hermione continued.

Before Kingsley could argue, Harry cut in. "We may have our differences in who we can trust," he said, motioning to Umbridge with his eyes, "but don't forget, Minister, we are fighting for the same side here."

After a very long moment of silence, which allowed for the Minister to think things through, he asked, "this has to do with stopping Grindelwald, then?"

"Indirectly," answered Hermione. "But Skeeter released crucial information about Horcruxes and we are trying to do damage control before Grindelwald's supporters or anyone else start trying to make them."

"Very well," said Kingsley with a short nod. "Then I shall stand next to you to prove that the Ministry supports you."

"Thank you," was all Hermione said, but Harry just walked away.

"Ready?" he asked, once Hermione was next to him at the podium. She nodded but didn't speak; she was currently trying to prevent herself from throwing up. "Good morning and thank you for gathering here. I am Harry Potter of the Dobwig Association, and I am here today along Hermione Granger, also of the Dobwig Association, to discuss a matter of great importance." Hermione heard the Minister quietly clear his throat, and she watched Harry add him into his introduction, while he struggled to prevent his eyes from rolling. We stand here today in solidarity with the Ministry of Magic. I will now turn the attention over to Hermione, who will provide you with important information."

Hermione took a deep breath, stepped forward, and began her well-rehearsed speech. "Thank you, Harry. As many of you may recall, Rita Skeeter of the Daily Prophet released an article recently that mentioned something known as Horcruxes. Prior to that, she had also mentioned Horcruxes again in her latest book about Harry Potter. I am sorry to inform that the information released was not accurate, and the Dobwig Association, _and the Ministry_ ," she added in an undertone, "feel that it is our responsibility to properly inform you on the risks and detrimental outcomes of Horcruxes. To be begin, a Horcrux was explained to you by Rita Skeeter as a way to preserve your life; similarly to how the Philosopher's Stone would work. This is NOT how a Horcrux works. A completed Horcrux is an object that literally contains a piece of your soul; you cannot perish whilst that piece of soul exists." She carefully selected her words when speaking; she chose to only say "object" as she did not want it known that a living thing could also serve as a Horcrux. "To successfully create a Horcrux, part of the ritual includes murdering someone. I do not think I need to remind you all that murder is illegal and, therefore, making a Horcrux is illegal. Another component that Ms. Skeeter failed to mention when she painted the pretty picture of a Horcrux to her readers, is that every successful Horcrux tears your soul apart. One Horcrux leaves you with half of your soul, two Horcruxes leaves you with a quarter of your soul, three Horcruxes leaves you with one eighth of your soul, and so on and so forth. Removing even a sixteenth of your soul changes you completely. You lose a part of who you are and things such as happiness, love, and compassion leave you and it does not return. If this does not affect you, then perhaps think of Voldemort." She paused to allow people to react to the use of his name. "Voldemort created seven Horcruxes and left himself with a soul so small that made him more vile than ever before. Thanks to the memories of the late Albus Dumbledore and others, we were able to learn about Voldemort's progression as he made more and more Horcruxes and how it affected him. By the end, his skin was stretched over his skeleton, he had no nose, no hair, and was frightening to look at. His soul was so small that not even his devoted Death Eaters could love him. Should none of this deter you from walking the path of Horcruxes, then let me leave you with one more thought. You can never die as long as your Horcruxes are intact, but that does not mean you cannot suffer. You can be stabbed, stunned, burned, torn from limb to limb. You can be destroyed, but yet you will live. So, until your Horcrux is destroyed, you can live in agonizing pain as nothing but a tiny piece of your physical self left, possibly for eternity. The Dobwig Association and the Ministry did not wish to release this information to you as there is absolutely no benefit at all in creating a Horcrux, but thanks to Rita Skeeter, the information is now out there and also in the minds of dark witches and wizards. Thank you, Rita," she said, looking directly at Rita Skeeter. "At least like this," she continued, turning towards her audience again, "the truth is released and people will now know what the risks really are. Thank you." As Hermione walked away from the podium, Kingsley walked forward and addressed the crowd.

"As Minister of Magic, I would like to reiterate that creating a Horcrux is illegal and a serious matter. Should anyone have any information on potential Horcruxes or of someone attempting to create one, please contact the Ministry immediately." As the crowd started to depart, Harry walked up to Hermione.

"How did I do?" she asked him.

"Brilliantly! Do you think it will work?"

Hermione shrugged. "For those who thought that it was simply an elixir of life, then yeah, I think it will deter them."

"I suppose it's better than nothing," Harry grumbled. Hermione grabbed his arm and started to push him towards the exit of the Ministry.

"Let's get out of here before people start wanting to ask us questions; Kingsley can handle it."

Harry nodded and allowed Hermione to lead him out. "Good idea."

 **Draco Malfoy – Present Day**

 **May 23, 2000**

"Back here again?" Hermione asked him, as she arrived by his side-along apparition back to the woods where the Quidditch World Cup was held.

"I told you that this place meant a lot to me," he said, producing a blanket and laying it on the ground in the middle of a clearing. "And since you're going to be my wife," he said, patting the spot beside him so that she could sit next to him, "I want to give this place some meaning to you as well."

Hermione sat next to him but frowned. "You know this is just an act, right? We aren't _really_ engaged."

"Are you not enjoying the time that we are spending together?"

"Draco, the ritual knot wasn't really ours-"

"Answer the question."

"Yes, I am enjoying myself, but I-"

"Then that's all that matters. Firewhiskey?" he asked her, pulling a bottle out of his cloak.

"Draco, this whole engagement thing, it was only to get you out of trouble…"

"I know, Hermione. But you said it yourself, you're enjoying the time that we are spending together. We have to pretend for awhile, otherwise we are both in trouble, and I love you and I haven't forgotten that you admitted to loving me, too." He paused to allow her to take in what he was saying. "So, why can't we really do this? Why do we have to pretend?"

"Draco, I have no interest in getting married! Not for several years!"

"I can wait," he said smiling. "But in the meantime," he continued, reaching for her face, "I'm willing to start slow."

"We've been down this road already," she said sadly, but didn't push his hand away. "I just can't put myself through it again."

"It's different now, though."

"How?"

"Because you showed my mum that muggle-borns aren't what she thinks they are."

"Don't you mean Mudbloods?"

Draco sighed. "Calling you that is the biggest regret of my life and I'm sorry, but will you ever let me live it down?"

"Your mum is going along with this because she knows it's the only way her son will be released, but she will never truly accept me."

"What if I told you that I don't care what she thinks?"

"That's a lie, though."

"Is my mother the only thing stopping you?"

Hermione hesitated. "I won't allow myself to be hurt again; I can't."

"Look, I'm not going to lie to you; it will never be easy when it comes to my family. But that shouldn't matter. No, hear me out!" he said, when he saw the look she gave him. "What matters is us. I won't allow my family to blind me again; I've learned what I have to lose and I have no intentions of ever losing you again."

"Draco, I can't-"

"You can," he whispered, leaning in to kiss her. She allowed him to kiss her, but it didn't last long. Not because she had pulled away, but because another voice interrupted their moment.

"Morsmordre!"

"What was that?" Hermione asked gasping as she pulled away.

"It was a spell but from where?"

"Draco… Look!" she said, looking up into the sky. Draco followed her stare and saw something that he had not seen in a very long time: The Dark Mark.

 **Frank Longbottom – The Past**

 **September 6, 1981**

"Alice? Alice, where are you?" Frank ran frantically through his house looking for his wife and son.

"Frank?" came his wife's voice. "We are just in here, what's the matter?" A sigh of relief came over him when he saw his wife in the living room coddling their newborn son Neville. "Is everything okay?" Alice asked him, when she saw his face.

"No, actually, it isn't. Albus just came and found me; he told me that we are in danger!"

"Well, everyone is in danger, Frank; this is war!"

"Mum! I didn't know that you were here."

"Where else would I be? This is my only grandchild and you are my only son; where else would an old lady like me likely to be?"

"Mum, can you take Neville and go into hiding?"

"Take Neville?" asked Alice, pulling the baby closer to her. "Why?"

"It's just for today, Alice. Albus said that we need to meet him at Headquarters and he will explain. He's also sending someone to put the Fidelius Charm on our house."

"But why, Frank? Why are we in more danger than anyone else?"

"I don't know, Alice! But I trust Albus, and he said he will explain it all. Mum, the Fidelius Charm is still on your house?"

"Of course! You can never be too careful."

"Okay, take Neville there, then. Alice and I will go meet with Albus and then we will come get Neville."

Alice lifted Neville to her face and gave him a soft kiss. "You go with Grandma, Neville, my love, Mummy will see you soon." She handed him to her mother-in-law. "Thank you, Augusta."

"No problem, Dear," she said, taking Neville. "I shall see you two soon, then."

Frank walked his mother to the door and watched her apparate away with Neville, before going back to his wife. "Alright, let's go meet Albus then, so we can find out what's going on and then get back to Neville." Before he could move, however, he heard his front door open. "Mum? Did you forget something?" he called out, walking to the door.

"As a matter of fact, I did," came the voice of a woman he did not know.

"Who are you?" yelled Frank, pointing his wand at her.

The woman cackled gleefully. "My name is Bellatrix Lestrange - and we are going to have so much fun!"

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** I have been trying to post for quite some time but the site has been down so I'm very sorry for the delay; I promise I tried! Not much to say about this chapter except that I am opening up something new with the Dark Mark. In case any of you are wondering, Horcruxes are definitely going to be a problem thanks to good old Rita!

For all you Ginny lovers, you'll like the next chapter.

That's all I have to say today! Please keep reviewing and thank you as always!


	41. A Weasley Ritual Knot

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Forty-One: A Weasley Ritual Knot**

 **Hermione Granger – Present Day**

 **May 23, 2000**

"Draco, it's the Dark Mark!" Hermione said, a feeling of Déjà vu washing over her.

"We have to go, now!" Draco said, panic in his voice.

"We can't! There's an anti-disapparation jinx that goes into effect anytime the Dark Mark is casted!"

"What do we do then? Hermione, I-I can't get caught here…"

"I know, I'm thinking!" Hermione bit her lip; there was really only one option that she could see, and she had to do it quickly before Ministry officials showed up. "Quick, take off your clothes; just stay in your boxers."

"What?"

"Just do it!" Draco did as he was told as Hermione stripped to her bra and underwear. She then laid down on the blanket and pulled Draco on top of her. "Just follow my lead and do exactly as I say," she said, putting her lips to his. As soon as their lips touched, they heard voices coming towards them. "Aah!" she screamed, acting as if she had no idea what was going on.

"They're over here!" came someone's voice. As expected, they were instantly surrounded by several witches and wizards, including, to Hermione's horror, Arthur Weasley.

"Hermione?" came Arthur's shocked voice once he noticed her.

"Mr. Weasley, what's going on?" she said, trying to cover herself.

"We should ask you the same!" came the voice of Rubin Yaxley.

"What do you mean? We were on a date and thought that this would be a private area to- Oh goodness! Draco, look! It's the Dark Mark!" she exclaimed, looking up into the sky.

"What? But how?" he asked, following her lead and looking up into the sky as well.

"Cut the charade," came Kingsley's voice. "You mean to tell us that you did not see it?"

"No, Minister; my eyes were focused on something much more beautiful," replied Draco.

"And you, Ms. Granger?" asked Yaxley. "You were after all, er, on the bottom."

Hermione blushed. "Yes, I was, but, er, see, I close my eyes…"

"Enough with this rubbish!" snarled Kingsley.

"Kinglsey," started Arthur. "It obviously wasn't them; let them make themselves decent and let's go. The person who has conjured it is still out here."

"The person who has conjured it is sitting right in front of us! I am not about to walk away from a known Death Eater who is sitting under the Dark Mark!" Hermione made to reply to the Minister, but Arthur gave her a look that said for her to remain silent.

"You know very well that Mr. Malfoy here is no longer a Death Eater."

"You do not know him!"

"And you do not know Hermione Granger. I can assure you that Hermione would not allow for anything like this to happen in her presence. Besides, clearly they were occupied with something else."

Hermione blushed again, but lifted their wands and mustered the courage to speak again. "You can check our wands; the last spells we casted were wards that we put around us to ensure our privacy."

"Where are the wards now, then?" asked a witch whom Hermione did not recognize.

"The jinx that is attached to the Dark Mark that the Ministry created not only stop anyone from disapparating, but it also removes all wards," answered Arthur.

"Do you vouch for her, Arthur?" asked Yaxley.

"I do; and she vouches for Mr. Malfoy so that's good enough for me."

"Myself as well, then. Let's spread out; the real culprit must be near." Everyone left Draco and Hermione to search the area (including Kingsley, thankfully) except for Arthur.

"Thank you, Mr. Weasley," Hermione said to him.

"Arthur nodded. "I can't say that I am not disappointed to see you like this, Hermione. Get dressed and head out of the woods; you should be able to apparate home once the Dark Mark is out of view." He walked away from them, and Hermione and Draco dressed in silence. They did not speak the entire way out of the forest either, and didn't communicate when Draco grabbed her hand and apparated. In fact, not a word was spoken until they were at Malfoy Manor, in the backyard, and alone.

"Hermione, thank you," Draco started to say. Hermione merely nodded but said nothing. "Are you okay?" Again, Hermione said nothing, but shook her head no. Draco instantly went and put his arms around her, and she broke down crying. She knew she did not have to explain to him why she was upset. She did not regret her decision in helping him and knew that pretending they were sharing a private moment was the only believable story, but the look of disappointment on Arthur's face was enough to cause her extreme shame.

"Draco."

"Not now, Mother," he said quietly, when he heard his mother approaching. Hermione quickly tried to wipe away her tears, but it was no use."

"What is the problem?" Narcissa asked Draco, clearly noticing that Hermione was upset.

"The Dark Mark appeared moments ago. We're fine, Hermione is just upset," he said, trying to explain to his mother but also keeping the situation private. "I'll come see you inside soon," he said to his mother, trying to give Hermione some time to calm down.

"It's fine," said Hermione, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. "Is everything okay, Mrs. Malfoy?"

"If there is a Dark Mark, then clearly not," she said to Hermione. "More so, the intruder came back."

"What?" said Draco, pulling out his wand.

"He is gone; he couldn't get onto the property thanks to the Fidelius Charm, but I watched him walk around the perimeter as if trying to find a way in."

"Were you able to see who it was?" Hermione asked.

Narcissa shook her head. "He had his hood up once again."

Draco sighed heavily. "What else can go wrong today?"

 **Harry Potter – May 31, 2000**

Harry's head was pounding when he arrived at The Burrow. It had been just over a week since the Dark Mark appeared, yet the conjurer was never found. Seven bodies were found the same night that the Dark Mark had appeared, yet the culprits were never caught. The Daily Prophet of course had a field day, and both the Order of the Phoenix and the Auror department were being criticized. Angry that Hermione had called her out in front of everyone, Rita Skeeter had been seeking her revenge, and finally found it. "Oh, it's just you Harry, thank goodness!" said Molly, as Harry entered the kitchen. "I was worried it was Hermione."

"What's wrong with Hermione coming?" Harry asked. "I thought she was supposed to be here for dinner, anyway?"

"Yes, of course she is, it's just that… Well… I suppose you'll find out soon enough as well."

"Find out what?"

Ginny, who had arrived at the Burrow before Harry did, clearly knew what her mother was talking about. "Read this," she said, handing him the Daily Prophet, already opened to an article. " _It has been well over a week since the Dark Mark had appeared, yet still, a culprit has not been brought forward, writes Rita Skeeter, head journalist at the Daily Prophet._ "

"Here, start there," Ginny said, pointing to a paragraph halfway down the page.

" _Some new information has been brought forward, however. Although the Ministry of Magic claims that nobody was found at the clearing where the Dark Mark was seen, an anonymous source has come forward and revealed that there were in fact two people found in a compromising position. "They claimed that they didn't see the Mark as they were too busy doing you know what," said the anonymous source from a private meeting with Rita. "They were both down to their undergarments, but there was no way that they didn't see the Mark or hear the conjurer, if it is to be believed that it wasn't them themselves." Of course, it is curious as to why the Ministry has refused to release that information, unless of course it is because one of mentioned is one of their own. Hermione Jean Granger, member of both the Dobwig Association and the Order of the Phoenix, has indeed been confirmed to have been found under the Dark Mark, while partaking in sexual activity with the well-known and convicted Death Eater, Draco Malfoy. It is unclear as to why charges have not yet been laid and why the Ministry is keeping this information quiet. It is of course their responsibility to deal with these situations, regardless if the accused is one of their own…_ "

"That's basically the jist of it," Ginny said, cutting him off.

"This can't be true!" Harry said at once.

"Of course not, Dear; this is just Rita Skeeter up to her old tricks again," replied Molly.

"Hey," said Ron, walking into the room with Jessica. "Is Hermione here yet?"

Harry shook his head. "So, you've read it too, then?"

"It's awful," said Jessica. "I know that I don't understand much about your world, but it can't be acceptable for someone to defame someone publicly like that."

"You don't know Rita," Ron said to her.

"Does Hermione know yet?" Harry asked.

"I don't think so," Ginny responded. "Hermione hasn't subscribed to the Daily Prophet in quite awhile since it's usually always rubbish."

"Everyone is going to be over here soon for the usual dinner," Harry said, thinking aloud more than anything else. Every so often, the Weasleys along with Harry and Hermione would get together for dinner. Since almost everyone had moved out of the Burrow and were busy with their own lives, it was Molly's way of keeping her family close. "She can't find out with everyone here; she will be too embarrassed."

"I know where she is," said Ron. "I'll go to her."

"Take the article," Harry said to him. "I hate that she has to see it, but it's better that she finds out privately and not in front of everyone."

"Ron, if she's up to it, see if she will still come for dinner. Let her know that we know it isn't true," said Molly. "But if she doesn't want to, the poor dear, don't leave her alone."

"I won't," answered Ron. He leaned over and gave Jessica a small kiss. "I'll see you later." It wasn't long before the Burrow was filled with Weasleys, including baby Victoire, Jessica, Amelia, and Angelina. Ron hadn't returned with Hermione but Harry hadn't expected him to. The only two people who weren't yet present were Arthur and Percy.

"I do wish they would hurry up," Molly said, looking at her magical clock to see where they were. Harry looked at the clock as well, curious to know where everyone was. Percy's hand was at "home", indicating that he was at his own home that he had purchased with Audrey. Arthur's hand was pointed at "visiting", which meant that he was visiting someone's home, though Harry had no idea who. Ron's hand was also at "home", which told Harry that he must be at the cottage that he had gotten for himself and Hermione. All the other Weasleys were pointed at "Burrow", since they were all sitting at the kitchen table. The only hand that was sadly missing was of course Fred's. After his death, Molly and Arthur had come home to find his hand laying on the ground. Evidently, when someone died, their hand would fall off the enchanted clock. This hand now laid hidden beneath George's shirt and around his neck wherever he went. "Oh, Arthur is on his way now, thank goodness!" Harry looked at the clock again and saw that Arthur's hand was pointed at "travelling", then finally, "Burrow". "Hello, Arthur, about time! Charlie, can you use that coin of yours to find out why Percy isn't here?"

"No need, Percy won't be coming to dinner today," said Arthur, taking his seat at the table and saying hello to everyone. "It's a long story," he added, noting the look on his wife's face. "Let's start eating Molly, shall we?" The table was laid out with food, and everyone started to eat, enjoying a nice conversation as well.

 **Ginny Weasley – Present Day**

 **May 31, 2000**

"How is Teddy doing?" Jessica asked as they continued their meal at the Burrow. "Amelia sure does miss him."

"He will come visit again, once they are all settled in," answered Molly.

"Tonks must be so happy," said Harry. Ginny could tell that he was feeling guilty that he hadn't been to visit his Godson since he had awoken Tonks.

"She's ecstatic!" replied Molly. "Of course, it is quite confusing for Teddy; he's too young to understand, isn't he? But he's taken to her and has adjusted to calling her mummy, so I would say it's going just fine!"

"Is it just the two of them, then?" asked Bill.

"And Andromeda. For one thing, it's someone Teddy knows well so it helps him to adjust. Also, she still needs help with many things, so Tonks is taking care of her too. Andromeda is quite lucky to be alive after everything that had happened to her."

"She most definitely is," said Arthur.

"Where were you anyway, Arthur?" Molly asked him. "You were quite late today."

"Actually, I was with Percy," he said slowly, almost as if he was dragging out his words.

"With Percy? Doing what? And why didn't he come with you?"

"Percy is having dinner with Audrey and her parents today," said Arthur.

"And why were you there?" asked Molly.

"He asked me to come."

"Arthur!" Molly almost yelled, throwing down the dishcloth that she was holding. "What are you hiding?"

"It's nothing really, Molly! It's just that Percy didn't want to make a big deal about it; Audrey's father and I were the only two present."

"Present for what? Spit it out, Arthur!"

Ginny watched her dad sigh; he knew he wasn't going to win this one. "Percy wanted to honor magical tradition and so he completed the Ritual Knot Ceremony."

"The Ritual Knot Ceremony? WITHOUT US?"

"Now, calm down, Molly! Not even Audrey's mother was there. They really didn't want to make a fuss at all…"

"I AM HIS MOTHER! HOW COULD I NOT BE PRESENT AT SOMETHING SO IMPORTANT?"

"You'll be at the wedding, Molly; that's the most important-"

"A WEDDING THAT I KNEW NOTHING ABOUT!"

"Molly, there is no use arguing, what's done is done. I swear I did not know that was his intentions when he asked me to come over."

Molly crossed her arms. "Although I am pleased that he is following the right traditions, I cannot believe he did so without his mother! I will be talking to him about this, Arthur!"

"Of course, Dear."

"So, Audrey has the knot, then?"

"Yes; she understands the purpose of it and will be keeping it safe until the wedding."

"What exactly is it?" asked Jessica. The Ritual Knot was then explained to Jessica by everyone around the table. "So, if I were to marry a wizard, I would have to do it?" she asked.

"It doesn't work for muggles, Dear," answered Molly.

"It also isn't mandatory," said Bill. "But it is a custom of the wizarding world and many families still frown upon those who don't do it."

"Of course they do! It is proof that you will be committed to your partner; why would you refuse to do that? Only someone with other motives would refuse!" Molly said.

"Sometimes there are reasons not to, Mum," said Charlie.

"Like what?" Jessica asked.

"Well, for starters, if you have a child or are with child, the Ritual Knot won't work."

"It won't?" asked Ginny.

Charlie shook his head. "The point of the Knot is to confirm that each party stays loyal, as well as pure. I don't mean pureblood," he added, seeing the look on some faces. "Just that they don't already have heirs or connections elsewhere."

"So, you have to be a virgin?" George asked.

Molly blushed. "Your virtue does not need to be intact, no. But a witch cannot have children or be with child, and a wizard cannot have children or have a current witch pregnant."

"What if the witch is pregnant or has a child with the wizard that she wants to do the ceremony with?" Harry asked. Ginny knew where his head was at. It was going to be expected of them to do the ceremony, but if they weren't able to because Ginny was already pregnant, then there was going to be trouble with her mum.

"It doesn't matter," answered Charlie. "It still won't work."

"Speaking of Ritual Knots, Harry and Ginny, we must do yours soon. Of course, _you_ will allow me to be present, won't you? We can do it next weekend in the yard. Nothing big, just the family."

"I can't," Harry said quickly. "There is nobody to represent me."

"In this case, it would be your uncle Vernon, Harry."

"Do you think he will come, Harry? I suppose we can do it there if we have to…"

"My uncle will never do it."

"Don't worry about that, Dear. Arthur and I will talk to him, won't we Arthur?"

"Next weekend doesn't work, Mum. Harry has something at the Ministry that he can't get out of."

"The week after then, but I don't want to wait much longer; it really doesn't look good on the witch and I will not have my daughter talked about!"

"Molly, I don't think it's necessary-" Harry started, but Molly cut him off.

"I'm sorry Harry, but this is a very important tradition in the wizarding world. Now, you know that I love you as my son already, but this is my daughter and I won't allow you to have the opportunity to go and see someone else…"

"I would never!"

"Good! Then this Ritual should be no problem for you."

"Molly, you're being a little harsh," said Arthur.

"No I am not! Everyone knows that I have loved Harry as my own since the beginning, but that doesn't mean that I would allow him or _anyone_ take advantage of my daughter."

"But Molly-"

"No-"

"But I can't-"

"You will-"

"Molly, be sensible-"

"This is sensible!"

"Can we just-"

"No, we cannot-"

"How about-"

"It will happen on-"

"Just listen-"

"No, you listen!"

"ENOUGH!" screamed Ginny. "Harry and I will not be going through with the Ritual Knot Ceremony as I am already pregnant!"

 **Remus Lupin – The Past**

 **November 2, 1981**

Remus left the registration office at St. Mungo's with the new birth certificate in his hands. It was a very easy decision for him to name the baby girl. He pulled out the last letter that he had received from his best friend James, and scanned it until he found the part that he had been looking for. _Lily and I both agree that if it's a boy then he will be named Charles and if it's a girl then she will be named Daisy. I keep telling Lily that I know it's another boy, but for her sake, I hope it's a girl since she really wants a daughter. We also both agree that you will be Godfather. I know that she is going to kill me for telling you like this and for not allowing her to do it over a dinner that she would have prepared, but given the current state of things, I think it was best that I told you right away._ He folded the letter up again and put it away, then turned to the new birth certificate.

Name: _Potter, Daisy Lily_

Gender: _Female_

Date of Birth: 1 _November 1981_

Time of Birth: _1:48 am_

Father: _Potter, James Montgomery_

Mother: _Evans, Lily Jennifer_

Godparent: _Lupin, Remus John_

Remus smiled at the new birth certificate before putting that, too, in his pocket. He mentally checked off "birth certificate" in his mind. One thing done, two more to go.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Hello everyone! So, tomorrow is my birthday! (August 11 - same as Ginny!) With that said, my husband, son, and I are heading out to Quebec, Canada (about 6 hours from us) so I don't know what my internet connection will be like out there. So I'm posting this now for you all, but if I have a good connection up there then I'll give you guys another chapter on the weekend!

To reply to a review: Remember how I explained that this story is 19 years long? That means we are going to go through many many plots which means different character focuses are going to happen. Right now, Hermione's story is prominent, but there will be a time where she's on the back burner, just like Grindelwald is right now. Eventually, Grindelwald will be a focus again, as will Harry, Neville, Ron, etc etc.. Considering I go to year 2017 and I'm only at 2000, you can be certain that there is plenty of story left! With that said, as you can see in this chapter, Ginny's current storyline is commencing and she's going to be talked about quite a bit. Eventually, she will disappear from the story for a bit, then come back strong, then disappear, etc etc. My story focuses on every character so that is going to happen to all of them! I hope that clears that up for you! In terms of how many chapters this story will be, I'm not sure yet but clearly it's going to be a lot lol I'm in this for the long haul!

Alright, so this chapter is opening up a downward spiral for Hermione, so let's see what's going to happen. Oh, and with Ginny's announcement, you can bet there is going to be some backlash with that! The next chapter will focus on said repercussions (some of them) and another Remus flashback.

Thanks as always, and keep those reviews coming!


	42. Rita's Latest Article

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Forty-Two: Rita's Latest Article**

 **Ron Weasley – Present Day**

 **May 31, 2000**

"Hermione?" Ron called as he entered their shared cottage.

"Oh, hey, Ron! I was just about to apparate to the Burrow; you coming?"

"I just came from there actually, I wanted to ask you something."

"Go for it," she said, as she attempted to tame her hair in a nearby mirror.

"Have you, uh, read the Prophet today?"

"No!" she said, laughing. "I don't read that rubbish!"

"Well, Rita posted an article about you today," he said slowly.

"I'm not surprised there. What did she say, that I lied about the Horcruxes?"

"No, Hermione, I, uh, think you should sit down and read this one." She gave him a puzzled look, but quietly took the Prophet from him and sat on the couch and began to read silently to herself. Ron could tell that she had finished reading the article as her eyes had stopped moving, but she never looked up. "It's obviously rubbish," Ron said right away. "Dad was there so I'm sure we can get him to say that you and Malfoy weren't there."

Hermione shook her head. "Draco and I _were_ there, Ron."

"You were?" he repeated in disbelief. "But you and Malfoy wouldn't… You never…"

"What?" she lifted the article once more and read a line. " _partaking in sexual activity_?" she read aloud. "Of course not!"

"Oh," was all Ron had said. In truth, hearing that she hadn't done anything with Malfoy was very reassuring.

Hermione swore loudly, something that was completely out of character for her. "That woman is so foul!" she yelled out loud. "I should capture her again and not let her go this time! She must have been there in beetle form again, but I didn't-" her words were cut off when an owl flew in through an open window and dropped a letter into her lap before flying off again.

"What's that?" Ron asked.

"I don't know; it's from the Ministry." Hermione read the letter silently to herself before speaking. "It's from Umbridge," she said, half laughing and half raging. "I am to attend a meeting with her in regards to my _involvement_ with the Dark Mark."

"Can she do that?" Hermione nodded. "But, she can't send you to Azkaban or anything, can she?"

"I don't think so. It only says meeting, not hearing, and besides she doesn't have the authority to hold hearings; at least not yet. Draco must have gotten this too; I wonder if he's read the article yet." Ron watched her pull out her galleon and message Malfoy, when another owl flew in through the window. This time, however, the letter was dropped in front of Ron. "What's that?" Hermione asked.

"I don't know," answered Ron. He picked up the envelope and noticed that the Ministry of Magic seal was on it. He opened the letter and began to read:

 _Dear Mr. Weasley,_

 _I am sure by now that you have been informed of Ms. Granger's suspicious activity. As a member of the Dobwig Association, it is your responsibility to ensure that any Death Eater behavior is dealt with immediately. It is also my concern, as well as the concern of others, that Ms. Granger is a member of your association. This leads one to assume that the Dobwig Association is helping to cover up her involvement. Consider this my informal request that she be removed from the Association immediately, as well as investigated along with Mr. Malfoy. A proper demand will follow through if this is not done; I chose to contact you first as a professional courtesy. A second letter is also being sent to Mr. Potter and I know that you both will take prompt and appropriate action._

 _Kind regards,_

 _Dolores Umbridge_

Ron must have stood there reading the letter with his jaw dropped the entire time, as Hermione was looking at him with a look of concern. Without saying a word, he handed the letter to Hermione.

"She can't be serious!" Hermione said. "I need to go see Draco; right now. Ron, don't do anything until we talk, okay?"

"What do you mean? We aren't sacking you!"

"Well, we will talk about it tonight. I won't be at the Order meeting tonight, but have Harry come back here with you after the meeting and we will talk, okay?"

"Talk about what? Hermione, where are you going?"

"I have to go see Draco; just bring Harry here tonight!" Before Ron could say anything else to her, she was out of the cottage and had already apparated.

 **Draco Malfoy – Present Day**

 **May 31, 2000**

Draco was sitting at his desk in his room when he saw Hermione approaching the mansion through his large window. He hurried downstairs to meet her, before his mother could realize that she was here. "Hey," he said, as he opened the door for her.

"You didn't reply to my message," she said, as she walked in and headed straight to a couch in the sitting room.

"Sorry; I was reading something."

"The letter from Umbridge?" Draco nodded. "So, you've read the article then?"

Draco nodded again. "My mother saw it in Witch Weekly and showed me a few moments before the letter arrived."

"It's in Witch Weekly too?" she said angrily.

"Why? Where did you read it?"

"The Daily Prophet." Hermione patted the seat beside her and Draco joined her. "Well, what did she say?"

"Who?"

"Your mother, of course!"

Draco shrugged. "Not much, really. She basically said that it helps prove that we really are engaged."

Hermione raised her eyebrows. "How did she _really_ say it, Draco?"

Draco sighed. "Does it matter?" he knew it did matter however, based on the look she was giving him. "She said that we are lucky that you're a mudblood tramp and clever enough to use your skills to our advantage," he mumbled.

"Tell me how you really feel, Narcissa," she said more to herself.

"What about this Umbridge thing, then?" Draco asked, trying to change the subject.

"We have no choice but to go," said Hermione. "But she doesn't hold any power; she can't convict us, she can only investigate. We'll just tell her what we told everyone else at the clearing that day and that's it. Besides, the Ministry officials checked our wands; that's proof enough that it wasn't us."

"Who _do_ you think it was?" Draco asked her.

Hermione shrugged. "Probably one of Grindelwald's supporters. It was probably some big joke to them to try and instill fear in the wizarding world again. Voldemort came back once, what says that he won't come back again?"

"But he can't…"

"We know that, but the majority of the wizarding world doesn't, no matter how much we tell them otherwise. They've been told too many lies over the years; I wouldn't trust what the Ministry says, either."

"We'll get through this, we just _need_ to be quite convincing about our engagement, _especially_ now," said Draco.

"We will be."

Draco slid closer to her and put his arm around her waist. "I know how we could be even more convincing," he said slowly. "We can make this real…"

"Draco, there's enough going on right now, I really can't be thinking about this right now."

"Then don't think; just let it happen. Right now, you and I couldn't be with anyone else even if we wanted to, so why not just go with it?" To Draco's huge surprise, Hermione leaned in and kissed him.

"I'm not promising anything," she said immediately after. "But right now, we _do_ need to be convincing. I may not have a job soon and I may not be able to help the Order, at least not on the front lines. All I have is you right now, Draco, so don't disappoint me." He made to speak, but Hermione silenced him with her lips once more. "Now listen, we are meeting Harry and Ron at my cottage later tonight to discuss everything. They are going to an Order meeting now so let's head to the cottage and wait."

"So, I get you to myself at this cottage for the time being, right?"

Hermione playfully slapped him on the arm. "Let's go, _Malfoy!_ "

 **Harry Potter – Present Day**

 **May 31, 2000**

Harry sat to a corner at the Order of the Phoenix with Ginny right beside him. For once, he was allowing Kingsley to do and say as he pleased; Harry's mind was elsewhere. After Ginny announced her pregnancy out of frustration, the room exploded. Harry remembered looking around the room for a happy face, but the only one he had seen was Jessica's. Regardless of his relationship with any of the Weasley's, at the end of the day he wasn't family, Ginny was, and all they could see was that Harry had impregnated their daughter and sister. Ginny had of course told them all to stop and to mind their own business, but Harry wouldn't forget the look of anger on Molly's face and, worse, the look of disappointment on Arthur's. "What's wrong?" Ginny whispered to him, clearly noticing that Harry was in his own head. He shook his said as if to say nothing, but she knew better. "I know you're upset that I said something, just talk to me," she said.

"Not here," he whispered back. All he needed was for the rest of the Order to find out. They would find out, of course, but he would rather that he wasn't present. He couldn't blame Ginny for spilling the news, but he wished that she had waited and followed through with the plan they had come up with. They were going to wait awhile longer and say that they got pregnant after the engagement. It wouldn't have changed the fact that Harry had gotten her pregnant out of wedlock, but it would have been more acceptable than him getting his un-engaged girlfriend pregnant. He knew that they would all think he proposed because of the pregnancy now, and not because he truly loved her and had always wanted to marry her. Harry heard Kingsley say his name, and it brought him out of his thoughts.

"Now, if you haven't yet heard, Ms. Granger was found at the scene of the Dark Mark and now Mr. Potter is being asked to dismiss her from the Dobwig Association."

"I won't," Harry said at once.

"She is clearly not here at today's meeting," Kingsley continued, not acknowledging that Harry had spoken. "So, she must feel too that it's best if she step back."

"It is temporary of course, Minister," said McGonagall. "Surely this will be cleared up right away. We all know that Ms. Granger would never have been involved in something as dark as that."

"She was not involved, Minerva," said Arthur. "I was one of the first to arrive at the scene; it wasn't her."

"I was also there, Arthur, and I can confirm that she was in a compromising position," Kingsley stated.

"You can't possibly believe that Hermione would do something like that!" said Ginny.

"I didn't believe that she could be found with young Mr. Malfoy without her clothing, but that happened too, didn't it?"

"The article was true?" Molly asked, shocked at what she was hearing.

"Indeed," said Kingsley.

"What is going on with these children?" Molly said, shaking her head.

"They aren't children anymore, Molly," said Arthur quietly.

"Yes, but they are all unwed! Do I need to go and make sure that Amelia isn't Ronald's?"

"She isn't, Mum!" said Ron at once.

"This is really off topic," said Ginny at once. "Kingsley, Harry and Ron will decide what to do about the Dobwig Association as that is _their_ job. Hermione is more than welcomed at any Order meeting; she's clearly just upset right now which is why she isn't here, and I'm glad she isn't so that she doesn't have to hear all of you!"

"I am with Ms. Weasley," said McGonagall. "We should end tonight's meeting, I think." There were murmurs of agreement, and it wasn't long before the room started to clear out.

"Harry," came Ron's voice. "Hermione wants to meet us at your flat."

"Okay," said Harry. "Coming?" he said to Ginny.

"In a bit, I have to talk to a few people," she replied. Harry gave her a look but she shook her head. "It's better if it comes from me," she whispered. "And him?" she said, nodding to Ron. Ron hadn't been present for the announcement and therefore had no idea that Harry and Ginny were to be parents.

"I'll do it," said Harry grumpily. Harry and Ron arrived at the flat before Draco and Hermione. Sighing, Harry figured that it was now or never. "Er, Ron, I wanted to talk to you about your sister."

"I'm fine with it, Harry," he said at once.

"You are?" asked Harry, confused.

"Yeah, I knew one day you would, I guess the time has come."

"You're okay with your sister getting pregnant?"

"Whoa! Harry, you _just_ got engaged, I would rather not think about you and her, _you know_ … It's bad enough that you snog her in front of me!" Harry felt his stomach drop; Ron was talking about the engagement; he had no idea that Ginny was pregnant. "Anyway, I've always seen you as a brother," he continued. "At least now it will be official."

"Ron…" Harry said slowly, trying to determine how to tell him. "Do you and Jessica, uh, sleep together?"

"Are you kidding? Mum barely let's me in her room! Once she's able to travel again, I think I'll bring her to the cottage."

"So, you guys have never…?"

"Well, yeah, that was the basis of our relationship in the beginning, really. You know, before everything happened with Amelia."

"And with Essa?"

Ron nodded. "Everyone, even Lavender, except for Hermione of course."

"So, you understand then, that I have with Ginny-"

"Do you really think that Hermione and Draco actually went through with it?"

"What?" asked Harry, not realizing that Ron had stopped paying attention to him.

"She told me that she didn't, but Dad said that he saw…"

"I'm sure she was doing _something_ with Malfoy, but not that, not Hermione."

"Yeah, you're right, she wouldn't."

"Listen, Ron, Ginny and I-"

"Hey!" came Hermione's voice, as she and Draco walked in.

"Hey," Harry said back, slightly frustrated.

"Thanks for meeting us," she said. "We need to talk about the Dobwig Association, the Order, and this meeting with Umbridge."

"What meeting?" asked Ron.

"She sent both Draco and I an owl saying we needed to talk to her about _suspicious activity_."

"Hermione, uh, what _did_ happen?" Harry asked.

"Not what you think," Draco said, a little disappointed.

"Draco and I _were_ there, but we weren't doing anything-"

"I wouldn't say nothing…" Draco said.

"Kissing only!" Hermione said, hitting him. "Anyway, we heard someone mutter the spell, but we couldn't see anyone."

"You heard them?" Harry repeated.

Hermione nodded. "It was a man's voice."

"Oddly enough, it was kind of familiar," said Draco, "but I can't put my finger on who it was."

"That's helpful, though," said Harry. "Keep thinking, and let me know if you remember."

"Then what happened?" ask Ron, clearly wanting to know how the pair ended up in a compromising position.

"Well, we needed to get out of there but couldn't apparate of course because of the protective charms around the Dark Mark, and I knew that Draco would be arrested for sure because of his history, so I had to do something that would be believable enough to prove that it wasn't us."

"So you decided to have sex?" Ron blurted out.

"We did not have sex, Ronald!" Hermione said embarrassed. "We simply made it _look_ like we were about to."

"How?"

Hermione was blushing, so Draco came to her aid. "We took off our clothes, but kept our intimates on. That way, it looked like we were going to have done _it_ , had we not been interrupted."

"Enough about that," Harry said, not really wanting to hear about it. Hermione was like his sister, just like Ron didn't want to Hear about Ginny and Harry, he didn't want to hear about Hermione and Malfoy. "I'm not kicking you out of the Dobwig Association," he said firmly.

"You need to, Harry."

"No I don't!"

"Just temporarily. Harry, listen!" Hermione said, before he could argue. "We can't have the Ministry against us again, not this time."

"I don't care about the Ministry!"

"Well, I do! It makes it much easier to do what we need to do to stop these dark wizards if we have the cooperation of the Ministry. Otherwise, we are going to be doing it on the run again, and I don't know about you, but I don't feel like living out of a tent again!" Harry didn't say anything. He realized that she had a point, but he wasn't okay with letting her pay the price for someone else's doing. "I'm still going to be involved, Harry, more than ever! We just want the Ministry to think that I'm not."

"Fine," Harry finally said. "But I'm claiming that it is a temporary leave; that's all."

Hermione nodded. "I won't go to the next Order meeting, either. Feel it out and let me know what you think. But with Kingsley there, it's best if I don't continue for now."

"Kingsley is supposed to be on our side," said Ron angrily.

"He's nothing like Scrimgeour or Fudge, that's for sure, but he doesn't agree with how we do things," replied Hermione.

"You think he would have more faith in us after everything that we have accomplished," said Ron.

Hermione shrugged. "Whatever, you guys will keep me informed. Meanwhile, Draco and I will try and figure out who _really_ casted the Dark Mark."

"Okay," Harry said.

"Did I miss anything important?" she asked. Ron filled her in about the meeting, including Molly's comment. "What was that about?"

"No idea," said Ron.

"I do," Harry said. "Ginny's pregnant."

 **Remus Lupin – The Past**

 **November 2, 1981**

Remus sat at the shabby table in the little pub just outside of Godric's Hollow. "More ale?" said a plump little lady as she approached him.

"Please," he said, sticking out his cup and allowing the waitress to refill it.

"Tough day?" she asked him.

Remus took a large swig of his drink. "You have no idea."

"Well, I hope it gets better for you."

"Thanks." Remus drank about half of his cup and then set it down again. Ensuring that the waitress was no longer near him, he placed his hand into his pocket and pulled out three documents. He smiled at Daisy's birth certificate before putting it back into his pocket, an then frowned when he looked at the other two. He had just finished registering and completing James and Lily's death certificates, and was struggling to come to terms with what had happened. Fighting back tears, he opened them up and read them for probably the sixth time that hour:

Name: _Potter, James Montgomery_

Date of Birth: _27 March 1960_

Date of Death: _31 October 1981_

Time of Death: _Unknown – Estimated at 10:30 PM_

Cause of Death: _Avada Kedavra Curse_

Name: _Potter, Lily Jennifer (Nee: Evans)_

Date of Birth: _30 January 1960_

Date of Death: _31 October 1981_

Time of Death: _Unknown – Estimated at 10:45 PM_

Cause of Death: _Avada Kedavra Curse_

Wiping his eyes on his sleeve, Remus put the documents back into his pocket. Two down, one to go.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** As you may have guessed, the wifi signal was horrible last weekend; luckily I had posted early for you!

Not much to say about this chapter; we are going to hit a time jump soon as we are coming up to some serious Grindelwald activity. Just wanted to remind you all that no story is going to be left unfinished. We will learn more about Sirius and his ritual knot, Malfoy and his rightful possession of the Elder wand, etc etc..

Next chapter has a great scene in my opinion; a nice little happy surprise! I really don't have much to say today lol so as always, reviews are appreciated!

Thanks!


	43. Sharing the News

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Forty-Three: Sharing the News**

 **Harry Potter – Present Day**

 **May 31, 2000**

"You got my sister pregnant?" Ron asked for what was probably the fifth time that minute. Harry took a deep breath; he didn't expect Ron to take the news well, and he hadn't.

"Yes, Ron," he said. "We've been together for several years and we love each other and-"

"You aren't married."

"We will be!"

"You're only marrying her because she is pregnant!"

"No, Ron, I love her, I've always wanted to – Oi!" Ron had just flung himself at Harry and it took all of Malfoy's strength to pull him off. "What the bloody hell was that for?" Harry yelled.

"You got my sister pregnant!" yelled Ron, trying to fight off Malfoy's grip on him.

"Yes, I did, the same way you could have gotten Jessica or Essa or Lavender pregnant!"

"Lavender?" whispered Hermione, but nobody was listening.

"But I didn't get them pregnant, did I?" Ron yelled.

"I didn't plan it!"

"You should have been more careful! You should have waited until she was your wife!"

"I'm going to get this lecture from _you_?"

"Yeah, Harry! Things are done a certain way in the Wizarding World. There are Rituals and things that need to be done first!"

"I didn't plan it!"

"You've ruined my sister!"

"I haven't _ruined_ her!"

"You wouldn't know what you've done since you know nothing about this world!"

"Well, _sorry_ for being raised by muggles!"

"You should be sorry! Since your parents died you should have taken it upon yourself to find out how this world works!"

"Ronald!" said Hermione, but it was too late. This time, Harry had lunged at him. The pair were rolling around on the ground punching and kicking whatever body part they could find and it took all of Malfoy's efforts as well as some stunning spells from Hermione to finally break them apart.

"Get out!" Harry said, spitting blood onto the floor. "Get out of my flat!"

"No problem," said Ron, fuming just as much as him. "You get out of my sister!"

"I've already been in there, mate, and I plan on going back everyday!"

"Harry!" yelled Hermione. "Draco, help me get Ron out of here please!" Without another word, Ron left Harry's flat but struggled the whole way out as Malfoy was still trying to restrain him. "Don't you think you could have told him a little differently?" she asked Harry, once Ron and Draco were gone.

"No," he said angrily, wiping up blood from his lip. "He's such a prat."

"How did you expect him to take it? Ginny is his sister."

"That I have been dating for years and am engaged to her!"

"I understand Harry, but you aren't married _yet_ …"

"So what Hermione? They know that I love Ginny! This is ridiculous! And to bring my parents into this!"

"He's upset, Harry…"

"SO THAT MAKES IT OKAY?" Harry yelled.

"I didn't say that."

"The entire Weasley family is ridiculous!"

"I expect that they would be upset, too."

"Why? What did I do that's so wrong?" Harry was beyond irritated. "I'm marrying her!"

"Because you got her pregnant!"

"THAT'S NOT THE REASON I'M MARRYING HER!"

"I know, Harry, I know! But that's what it looks like to them. Put yourself in their shoes."

"I have, Hermione. I would be happy if someone like me would marry my daughter!"

"Harry, they _are_ happy that you're marrying her, you saw them when you announced it!"

"Until they found out she was pregnant," he grumbled. They heard the door open behind them and Ginny had walked in through the door.

"Hey Hermione, hey Harry," she said, giving the latter a kiss.

"All done?" Harry asked her, looking at his feet.

Ginny nodded. "I announced it, and I guess you know too, Hermione?"

Hermione smiled and rushed over to Ginny. "I'm very happy for you, Ginny!"

"Are you?" she asked skeptically, but returned the hug regardless. "Everyone else isn't."

"It's unexpected so I'm sure everyone is shocked, but I wouldn't say that they aren't happy."

"I would," said Harry, collapsing from exhaustion onto his couch.

"I take it that your bloody lip is a sign that Ron knows, then?" asked Ginny, sitting next to him.

"Why couldn't you just stick to our plan?" Harry blurted out.

"Hermione…" Ginny said nodding.

"I'll see you two later," said Hermione, understanding what Ginny wanted.

"Harry, I didn't mean for it to come out, but-"

"But nothing, Ginny! They were supposed to have thought that you got pregnant _after_ the engagement!"

"It wouldn't have made a difference; we still wouldn't be married."

"It would have been better than this! Now I have your Mum looking at me like I ruined her daughter and your dad looks so disappointed in me."

"So what, they'll get over it!"

"That's not the point! Look, I don't have a family-"

"Harry, don't-"

"It's true! Your family is becoming mine and it's all I have and I don't want that ruined!" Before Ginny could say anything else, Harry got up and headed out the door.

 **Remus Lupin – Present Day**

 **June 1, 2000**

"Harry?" Remus asked, as he tried to sit up. His head was pounding and his stomach was killing him. He tried to reach for his head, but he realized that he was under the body-bind jinx.

"Remus!" Harry said excitedly. "It is so amazing to see you again!"

"What's going on?" Remus asked confused. "Teddy, where's Teddy?"

"He's fine, everyone is fine! It's going to sound confusing but basically you were put under a spell that mimicked death so everyone thought that you were dead, but we recently discovered a way to wake everyone up, so here you are."

Remus didn't know what to think. "That is quite confusing," he said slowly.

"Everyone will fill you in properly when you see them at Headquarters."

"So, we haven't defeated Voldemort yet?"

"Oh, he's long gone! He died in 1998."

"1998? But then, what year is it now?"

"2000."

"I've been asleep for two years?"

Harry nodded. "Tonks too, but we woke her up a little while ago."

"Dora is alive?" He felt his heart fill and he was overcome with emotion. "But why is there still a Headquarters if Voldemort is gone?"

"Er, Grindelwald is back," Harry answered.

"Wow. I suppose a lot _can_ happen within two years." Remus looked around the room and recognized an archway to his left. "Is that the arch where Sirius…?"

"Yes it is; that's where you've all been, too."

"You mean Sirius can be woken up as well?" Remus could not believe what he was hearing.

"I think so," said Harry, although Remus could tell that there was some sadness in his voice. "His situation is a little bit different though; it isn't guaranteed that we can."

"If there is a way, Harry, we will find it," he said reassuringly. "May I ask why I am under this spell?"

"Oh, uh, I was worried that you might transform because you missed a bunch of moons."

"Very practical thinking, Harry. Is it the full moon tonight?"

Harry shook his head. "Not until the sixteenth. Today is the first," he added.

"Well then, Harry, I believe it is safe to remove the jinx." Harry lifted it immediately and Remus stretched out his very stiff limbs. "Thank you," he said, standing up and looking at Harry. "You have grown quite a bit," he said.

Harry shrugged. "Not compared to Teddy; he's two now."

"Merlin knows I cannot wait to see him. Harry, thank you; how can I ever repay you?"

"You don't have to, you're family; the only family I've got, really."

"I will always be your family, Harry, but you are blessed with much more than me. You have the Weasleys, for one."

Harry snorted. "Not lately."

"What do you mean?" asked Remus, frowning.

"Ginny and I are engaged…"

"That's marvelous!"

"…And she's pregnant."

"Even better news!"

"Yeah well, not to the Weasleys. They think that I proposed _because_ she was pregnant but that's not the reason."

"Ah, I see. It'll blow over, Harry. I know it seems difficult now, but once you're wed and there's a baby here, it will change; I promise you."

"How do you know that?"

Remus contemplated his answer. "You do know that there is a fairly large age gap between Dora and I, don't you?"

Harry nodded. "So?"

" _So_ , most parents don't want their daughter with an old man."

"You aren't an old man!"

"Well, I am much older than Dora, _and_ I'm a werewolf."

"So what, that isn't your fault!"

Remus smiled. "It means a lot to me that you don't see my condition as something dreadful, but the majority of the world does. You'll see, once your child is born, you're going to start feeling differently."

"I'll never think of you differently."

"Perhaps not, but if you have a daughter and she tells you she's dating a vampire or something, you'll have quite the opinion on that."

"But I know that you're responsible and wouldn't hurt anyone."

" _You_ know that, but Dora's parents didn't. They wanted better for their daughter and I don't blame them. Any parent would; I know I would for Teddy. But the point is, Harry, once we got married and announced that we were having a baby, things changed."

"Announcing the baby is what made it worse for me though."

"For now, but it won't always be like that. They _will_ be happy, Harry. In the meantime, you have me. I am thrilled to hear that you're going to be a father! James and Lily would be so proud of you."

Harry gave Remus a hug. "I've missed you, Remus."

"I'm not going anywhere again, I promise."

 **Ginny Weasley – Present Day**

 **June 1, 2000**

The reunion between Remus and Tonks had been an emotional one. Ginny (although she blamed her pregnancy hormones) had joined in on the tears. Once the celebrations were over, Remus was filled in about everything that he had missed, (which took over an hour of explaining), and everyone present at the Order meeting had helped to tell the story. "Congratulations, Bill, a daughter, how marvelous!" Remus said, after learning about the birth of Victoire.

"Thank you!" said Bill, raising a glass. "She'll be a month old tomorrow, can you believe it? You must come by and meet her! She's at Shell Cottage with Fleur of course, resting."

"I would be delighted to! To Victoire!" said Remus, holding up a glass.

"To Victoire!" shouted the rest of the room, drinking from their wine flutes.

"Another toast is in order, I think," said Remus, magically refilling everyone's glass. "To Harry and Ginny on their engagement, and the wonderful news of their child on the way!"

"To Harry and Ginny," echoed the room. Ginny looked over at her mother and of course saw the enraged look on her face.

"Don't bother toasting, Mum; we all know you hate the news." Ginny couldn't help it. Harry had left their house the night before and hadn't returned because he was angry with her outburst, yet here she was doing it again. It was something she had to do, however, regardless of how Harry felt. This was _her_ engagement and _her_ baby, how dare her mother act this way! She's gone on and on about what she is wearing to Percy's wedding, a wedding that she knew nothing about, yet here she was treating Ginny poorly for announcing her news right away. So what that they couldn't complete a stupid Ritual Knot ceremony! She wasn't even invited to Percy's ceremony, yet she was already over it! In Ginny's mind, if her mum had moved on from Percy's big surprise, then she needed to move on from Ginny's, too.

"You're right, Ginevra, I am far from pleased!"

"Really, Molly?" asked Remus, before Ginny could reply. "I'm sorry to hear that; I had thought that you would be thrilled!"

"My daughter is unwed and pregnant, why would I be thrilled?"

"Your daughter is engaged to the man that we all knew would eventually marry her, a good man, better than every man here, I would say – You are Harry; let us not forget all of your accomplishments throughout the war with Voldemort – and she is about to start a family with that man. I say, bravo!"

"Of course _you_ of all people would think so!"

"Is that a shot at my husband, Molly?" snapped Tonks.

Molly blushed. "No, of course not, I just meant that, well, _you two_ completed the Ritual Knot ceremony before you had Teddy!"

"Because Ted and I were concerned of what would be said of our Dora, considering the other factors that followed Remus," replied Andromeda. "And we were wrong for doing so," she added, looking at Remus. "However, Molly, had Dora been pregnant with Teddy before all of that, I wouldn't have made Remus or the baby pay the price for it."

"What my wife means, Andromeda," said Ginny's dad Arthur, as he slowly removed his glasses and cleaned them on his robes. "Is that she had hoped the situation would have happened differently. Neither of us hate Harry; he has been our son since before he even started to date Ginny. I cannot say that I am not disappointed that the Ritual Knot ceremony will not take place, but I am of course quite pleased to be welcoming a second grandchild."

"Is that true, Mum?" Ginny asked her mother. "You're pleased, then?" She knew she was instigating, but she didn't care.

"No, I'm afraid that I cannot say that I am. I'm sorry, Arthur, but my views are quite different than yours. I will not hate this child of course, but I am very far from pleased."

"That's quite a shame," said Remus sadly. "But that will not change anything for Harry, Ginny, or the majority of us. This baby, for _most_ of us, is highly celebrated."

"Well then," said Molly angrily. "I shall leave you to your celebrations, then. Clearly, I am not welcomed here." Nobody said anything as Molly left the room.

"I suppose I'll go after her," said Arthur. "She'll be upset."

" _She'll_ be upset?" Ginny said exasperated. "What about me? I'm the one getting married and having a baby!"

"Ginny, you must understand-"

"No, Dad, _you_ must understand! Harry and I are happy and the rest of the family should be too!"

"Arthur, I don't want any problems," Harry interjected.

"Harry, I believe this is something that should have been said to you along time ago," he replied, turning to Harry. "You are very much wanted by this family and I am very pleased that my daughter has found someone like you. With that said, however, there are also things that a magical family expects when their son or daughter starts a family of their own. It was an error on our part for not informing you; if I am to be honest, I often forget that you are not familiar with the wizarding world traditions."

"Arthur, I didn't _mean_ for Ginny to get pregnant; it, uh, wasn't planned… But I don't regret that there is a baby coming."

"Nor should you, Harry," added Remus.

"Dad, even if Harry knew about our traditions, this still would have happened," Ginny said.

"Perhaps," said Arthur, looking directly at Harry.

"No, it wouldn't have," Harry said sighing.

"What do you mean?" asked Ginny.

"Because if I had known, I would have done the Ritual with you the minute that I defeated Voldemort."

"Really?"

"Of course! I've always known that I wanted to marry you, I just didn't do anything while Voldemort was alive because I didn't want him coming after you to get to me. But once he was gone, if I knew there was a way to guarantee that you were mine forever, I would have for sure secured that."

"If that's the case, you would have married her right after the war, then," said George. Ginny couldn't tell if George was trying to be funny or if he was actually mad at Harry.

Harry shook his head. "Your family had just lost Fred and I was going through some stuff; it wasn't the right time for an engagement. Besides, we weren't ready in that way. I didn't have a place to live or a job yet; I wasn't going to marry her and have no way of providing for her."

"Well then, _son_ ," said Arthur, emphasizing the last word. "I, too, take responsibility for the Ritual not being completed."

"As do I," said Remus. "With your parents and Sirius gone, I was the only one you had left and I should have taught you the wizarding world traditions. I'm sorry."

"So, you're okay with it?" Harry asked hopefully, looking up at Arthur.

Arthur smiled in response. "Of course I am!"

"And Mum?" Ginny asked.

"I will deal with Molly," her dad replied. "As long as I am around, you'll always have me in your corner." He walked over to his daughter and gave her a hug, then turned to Harry and gave him a hug, too. "Welcome to the family, Harry!"

 **Vernon Dursley – The Past**

 **November 8, 1986**

"Petunia! Petunia!" Vernon trudged angrily through his front door, trying to kick the snow off his boots. "PETUNIA!" he loudly bellowed again.

"In here, Vernon," she responded from the kitchen. He burst into the kitchen and angrily sat on the chair as he started to remove his winter clothing. "Vernon, what's the matter?" she asked, as he slammed his wet gloves down onto the table.

"There is too much bloody snow!" he barked, rubbing his hands together to try and warm them up. "I can't even get from my car to the front door!"

"Mr. and Mrs. Polkiss hired one of those snow plow companies; she was telling me just last week. They do your entire driveway as well as the front entrance. Maybe we should inquire?"

"I'm not spending that kind of bloody money! Why can't the boy do it?"

"My Ikkle Diddykins, shovel snow?" Petunia asked, horrified.

"Of course not! The Potter boy!"

"He wouldn't be able to, Vernon, he's too young."

"What do you mean? Isn't he eight by now?"

"He's five."

"Five, really? Could have sworn he's been making our lives miserable for longer than that."

"He'll be busy with school soon enough, then you'll see less of him."

"Hmph," grunted Vernon, still irritated. "Still, Petunia, five is definitely old enough to start doing things. He can shovel the snow, he can clean the toilets, he can cook breakfast! This boy is not going to be living here for free! It's bad enough that he was dumped on our doorstep."

"He is my sister's son; my father is dead and my mother is too frail to look after him. Where else would he have gone?"

"An orphanage, or do they not have those?"

"Vernon, shh!" Petunia whispered, looking around to make sure that the windows weren't open. "He is not to know that _that_ even exists!"

Vernon frowned. "Well, I still think he can start doing things around here. You've coddled him since he was an infant; it's time for him to work."

"What was I to do, Vernon? He was a year old. I had no choice but to feed him and change his diaper and potty train him and teach him to walk!"

"And you did a fine job, Petunia Dear, but he is five now!" Vernon said furiously. "Where is the boy now?"

"In his room playing."

"In his – _playing_? Petunia!"

"Vernon, he is a _child_!"

"Hmph, a child!" Vernon got up and headed towards the upstairs bedroom where Harry slept. "He won't be a child for much longer."

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Alright friends, a couple of things! First, something that has always bothered me was Harry's childhood. We know of course that The Dursley's hated Harry, but as a baby, Petunia had no choice but to do things like change his bum, teach him to walk, etc. So, I will explain in "past" scenes just how that all came about. As you can see, at age 5, Petunia did not yet hate Harry.

The next chapter will be the last one before a little time jump that will be a game changer - You'll have to wait and see what I mean!

Shout out to the Canadian reviewer - I too get plenty of snow (I'm from Toronto) so yes, snow days will equal writing days! In terms of Dramione, I'm using it to really build Draco's character.. But a Malfoy will always be a Malfoy (hint hint)

Thanks as always!


	44. The Twenty-Sixth of November

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Forty-Four: The Twenty-Sixth of November**

 **Hermione Granger – Present Day**

 **June 6, 2000**

"Good morning, Ms. Granger, Mr. Malfoy," said Umbridge, as Hermione and Draco took a seat in front of her desk.

"Good morning," Hermione replied. Her strategy going in to this meeting was to be polite but stern; she knew the laws and knew that there was nothing that Umbridge could do to them. However, testing the waters wasn't something that she wanted to do at this time.

"Well, I have received the report from Mr. Potter that you have been dismissed from the Dobwig Association," said Umbridge, referring to the letter on her desk.

"It's only a temporary leave," said Draco.

"Maybe so, Mr. Malfoy, but if someone like Mr. Potter agrees that she should no longer represent a Department in the Ministry of Magic, that says something, doesn't it?"

"It says that the Ministry's focus isn't where it should be."

"Is that so, Mr. Malfoy? You and Ms. Granger were found at the scene of a crime; I would say that the Ministry's focus is exactly where it should be."

"It's fine," Hermione said quietly to Draco, before turning to Umbridge. "What can we do for you, Dolores?"

"For one, you could address me correctly!"

"Oh, my apologies, I could have sworn that your given name was Dolores!" Hermione had forgotten her plan of being polite; her hatred for Umbridge was just too strong.

"You should address me as Ms. Umbridge!"

"Oh, come on now, Dolores, we are past that by now, aren't we? I mean, you did try to murder Harry and I back in our fifth year, I think that puts us past calling you _Ms. Umbridge_."

"These accusations are preposterous!" spat Umbridge, her toad-like face as pink as everything in her office. "We are here to discuss Mr. Malfoy and your crime!"

"What crime?" asked Hermione sweetly.

"Casting the Dark Mark!" Umbridge was flustered and Hermione was pleased; clearly this hadn't been Umbridge's plan.

"We didn't cast the Dark Mark, so I suppose we are done here," said Hermione, standing.

"Sit down, Ms. Granger! Not only were you and Mr. Malfoy found at the scene of the crime, but several deaths were reported afterwards, making the pair of you more guilty!"

"I don't understand," said Hermione, trying to look confused. "We were witnessed by several Ministry Officials, were we not?"

"Yes you were!" smile Umbridge, pleased that Hermione was starting to admit it.

"Well then, we have several witnesses, and liable ones at that, that can confirm that we in fact did _not_ commit any murders, seeing as though we were in the forest clearing with them."

Draco smiled. "And those Ministry Officials agreed that we did not cast the Dark Mark, so, good day, _Dolores_." Hermione laughed out loud at Draco's use of Umbridge's first name.

"There is one more crime!" Umbridge nearly screamed, her pink face now beet red. "Both of you were naked in a public place; that is indecent exposure, that is!"

Hermione could not control her laughter. "That's a _muggle_ law, Dolores; it does not apply to us."

"It applies to you, Ms. Granger, considering you're a mud-"

"The correct term is Muggle-born," Hermione said, cutting her off before she could say the ugly word that she wanted to use. She also placed her hand lightly on Draco, letting him know that it was okay and that he should not react.

"Muggle-born or not, Hermione is a witch, therefore, she follows wizarding law," Draco said, desperately trying to control his temper. "I believe we are done here; we will see ourselves out."

"Oh, just one more thing, Mr. Malfoy," replied Umbridge, her voice dangerously cheerful now. "There's one teensy little detail we overlooked that I just need some clarification on." She held up her thumb and forefinger to exemplify how small she meant, and flashed them the largest grin she could muster. "Your Ritual Knot…"

"We've been through this already," Hermione sighed.

"Yes, of course, Dear! Just one little thing that I overlooked and just needed to clarify… For the records, of course!"

"Yes, of course," Draco replied, rolling his eyes. "What is it?"

"Ms. Granger's parents!"

"What about them?" Hermione asked.

"Your father would have had to have been present for the ceremony," Umbridge replied.

"He was," said Draco quickly.

"Well, of course he was, Mr. Malfoy, otherwise the Ritual Knot would have been fake and you both would have broken quite a handful of laws!" Umbridge giggled as she stared between the two. "Surely you both would never have done such a crazy thing!"

"No, we wouldn't have," Hermione replied. "He was present."

"Wonderful!" Umbridge squealed. "Then I shall just require a statement from him. Friday works well for me; shall I come to your dwelling, or would you rather meet elsewhere?"

"You can't," Hermione said quickly, before she could process what was going on.

"What do you mean? Of course I can! Muggle or not, he has a magical child, which, therefore, gives the Ministry permission to question him about said child! Now, shall we meet at your dwelling or is there something you wish to tell me?"

"You misunderstood my fiancée," Draco said quickly. "You cannot meet with him Friday as he is out of the country, and as a muggle, he is not required to return early for anything Ministry related."

"Unless the trip is longer than six months time, which in that case, he must! I shall prepare the paperwork-"

"No need," Draco interjected. "He is returning in five months time."

"In five months?"

"Yes," Hermione confirmed.

"How convenient," Umbridge said, her grin faltering.

"We can contact you when he arrives," said Draco, but Umbridge shook her head.

"The appointment will be made now." She grabbed a nearby calendar and counted five months ahead. "The twenty-second of December at two o'clock in the afternoon. We shall meet at Malfoy Manor then; it makes sense for the two families to get accustomed to one another, wouldn't you agree?"

"We'll see you then," Draco said, as he grabbed Hermione's hand and pulled her out of the office. The pair apparated back to Hermione and Ron's cottage in complete silence.

"Draco, what are we going to do?" Hermione finally said, collapsing onto her couch. "My parents have no idea who I am; Healer Martus and I have yet to find a cure!"

"We'll figure it out," Draco said quietly, sitting beside her. "We always do."

"How does she know?" Hermione yelled angrily. "She knows that they don't know me, but how?"

"She probably doesn't know."

"Yes she does or she would never have tried to set up a meeting with them. If my parents knew I was their daughter, they would have lied for me and she can't use magic on them to determine if they are lying or not since they are muggles. No, Draco, she knows, but how?"

"How do they find out anything?" Draco asked bitterly. "The bad guys are always one step ahead."

 **Gellert Grindelwald – Present Day**

 **June 13, 2000**

"Ah, good morning, Pius," said Gellert, looking up from his Daily Prophet as his follower walked in.

"Good morning, my Lord," Pius replied. "Anything new to report?" he asked, nodding towards the Prophet.

"A few deaths last night, but nothing that you wouldn't know about, is there?"

"The full moon is in three days so I'll probably stop until after that, now."

"You need to be careful with Greyback; he does not care who he throws under the bus."

"But the Ministry already knows that I work for you," replied Thicknesse.

"And certain people from the Ministry have converted Greyback before. For the right price, don't think that he won't go back to them with you being dragged behind him."

"You think he would?"

"You can't trust many people in this world, Pius. Did you not at least learn that from your last leader?" Gellert didn't wait for a reply as he raised the Prophet once again. "Any owls arrive for me yet?" he asked from behind his paper.

"No, my Lord; are you expecting one?"

"One of these days," he replied. Suddenly, he heard a tap at the window, and he saw from over his paper that there was an owl waiting at the window. "Excellent!" he exclaimed, as Thicknesse grabbed the scroll from the owl and walked it over to Gellert. "Thank you, Pius." He accepted the scroll from him, unrolled it, and silently read the message to himself:

 _The twenty-sixth of November at six o'clock in the evening_

Gellert laughed loudly. "Finally!" he exclaimed.

"Finally what, my Lord?" asked Thicknesse.

" _Finally_ , Pius, my plan to be the Master of Death will fall into place."

 **Ginny Weasley – Present Day**

 **November 26, 2000**

Ginny was sitting around the kitchen table at the Burrow, along with Harry, Ron, Jessica, George, Angelina, and Hermione. Her mother was over by the oven, preparing tonight's dinner. Her relationship with her mother still hadn't gotten any better, but she still attended the weekly dinners that her mother hosted. Since the Order meetings seemed to always happen on the weekends, the dinners changed from Sundays to any available day of the week. This week, it happened to be a Wednesday. "Where's Draco?" Ginny asked Hermione. They had gotten used to him following Hermione wherever she went.

"Actually, I don't know," Hermione answered. "He said he needed to travel for his mother and that he would be back shortly."

"That doesn't seem odd to you?" Harry asked her.

"Honestly, Harry, sometimes it's best not to ask questions when it involves his mother! Where's all your other brothers, though?" she asked Ginny, changing the topic.

"Percy and Audrey are still on honeymoon," she started.

"Still?" asked Angelina. "Their wedding was in May!"

"Yes but Percy swears that they just couldn't take time off at the Ministry then. They were just _far too busy_!" she laughed. "So they actually didn't leave until a few days ago and I'm sure it's because Audrey made him leave."

"She's got her hands full, that's for sure," said Ron.

"Bill and Fleur should be coming by soon," continued Ginny. "And Charlie is in Romania; apparently they've discovered a new breed of dragons, so he can't leave for awhile."

"I wonder if the new _breed_ is actually a woman!" snickered George.

"As if!" Ginny snorted. "Charlie would marry one of his dragons if he could! Ouch!" she said, grabbing her stomach.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked her.

Ginny nodded. "This little one is getting much stronger now."

"How much longer is it now, Ginny?" asked Angelina.

"The Healers are speculating that the baby will be born early to mid February."

"So you're about six months," said Jessica, counting. "Do you know what you're having?"

"Not until the baby is born!" Ginny laughed.

"Oh, in my world we have technology that allows us to find out if it's a boy or a girl by this time."

"Teknologee?" asked Ron.

"It's like they can take a picture inside of you," explained Hermione.

"No thanks," replied Ginny. "I'll wait for February!"

"Do you have names picked out yet?" Angelina asked excitedly.

Ginny smiled. "We've only just agreed last night!"

"Ooh, tell us!" squealed Hermione.

"Well, if it's a girl, we agreed on naming her Lily, after Harry's Mum."

"That's really sweet," said Jessica. Clearly, Ron had filled her in at some point about Harry's past.

"And if it's a boy?" asked Ron.

"Well, I thought we would pick someone from our side," she said to her brother. "I wanted to name him after Dad."

"But I thought it would be weird to call both my son and father-in-law Arthur," said Harry.

"So we agreed on Archie," Ginny said smiling. "It's a form of Dad's name, _for_ Dad."

"I think it's sweet," said Jessica.

"How did you come up with Amelia?" Ginny asked her.

"Kind of similar to what you did with Archie," she replied. "My mom's name is Amy."

Harry looked at his watch. "Ten to six," he said out loud. "We usually start dinner by now, don't we?"

"Arthur is still at the Ministry," said Molly, hearing Harry's question but not looking at him as she replied. "There was a rather urgent meeting at the Ministry; the heads of every department had to attend."

"That doesn't make sense," said Harry. "I'm the head of the Dobwig Association and I wasn't informed of any meeting."

"Perhaps the Dobwig Association wasn't needed," said Molly bitterly. "Arthur's department must hold more importance."

"Where's the meeting, Molly?" asked Hermione, trying to divert the argument that was starting to brew.

"Just outside of the Ministry, actually. They were going over safety protocols if I'm not mistaken."

" _Outside_ of the Ministry? But that isn't safe at all! They are all exposed!"

"Hermione?" questioned Ron. "What are you getting at?"

"Arthur always takes the Floo to work so that he can never be intercepted; that was taught to him and many others _by the Ministry_! Why then, would they hold an unsafe meeting outside of the Ministry, right in the open?"

It was quiet for a few moments while everyone thought about what Hermione had just said, until Harry gasped. "Hermione, it's a trap!"

 **Vernon Dursley – The Past**

 **November 6, 1986**

"Potter!" said Vernon, as he entered Harry's room.

"Hello, Uncle Vernon," said Harry, as he sat crossed legged on the ground, playing with a miniature figurine.

Vernon took a deep breath before speaking. He needed the boy to understand what he wanted, and so he needed to say it in a way that a five-year-old would understand. He sat on the edge of Harry's bed, and began. "Potter, er, _Harry_ , you're five now, right? So, you're old enough to understand things."

"I think so, Uncle Vernon."

"Good, good, then let me explain something to you. Your Aunt Petunia only wanted one baby, and so, she got Dudley, your cousin." Harry said nothing, but instead looked at his uncle with a confused look. "So, when your parents died, she was given you, Harry, and of course she took you in, being her sister's son and all, but she didn't want to take care of another child. Do you understand?"

Harry frowned. "Aunt Petunia doesn't want me?"

"Very good, Harry!" Vernon exclaimed, pleased that Harry was catching on. "But you see, Harry, she's taken care of you regardless, because she is such a good person. Don't you think you should thank her?"

"Yes," said Harry, nodding his head.

"But if we tell your Aunt Petunia that you're sorry, then she'll feel bad for not wanting you, and you don't want her to feel bad after everything she has done for you, do you?"

"I guess not."

"So, what should you do?"

"I don't know," said Harry quietly.

"Well, I have just the idea that can help you."

"Okay."

Vernon smiled. "Harry, you need to show Petunia that you don't need her help anymore. You're a big boy, you're five! Start doing things on your own; learn to clean, learn to cook!"

"How will I learn?"

"You'll figure it out."

"Okay, and that would make Aunt Petunia happy?"

"Oh yes! But she won't look happy; it's all part of her pretending!"

"Okay."

"Now, one more thing, Harry. Remember how I said that your Aunt Petunia only wanted Dudley?" Harry nodded. "So, I think we should let Dudley have all the toys! And I think he should have your room, too!"

"But where would I sleep?"

Vernon thought for a moment. "There's a cupboard under the stairs, Harry; you would fit nicely there."

Harry looked around his room sadly. "I guess so, if it would make Aunt Petunia happy."

"Oh, it really would! Now come along!"

"Can I keep this?" Harry asked, holding up his figurine. "Please Uncle Vernon, it's only one and it's my favorite!"

"Oh, very well," Vernon responded. "But you mustn't ask for anything else!"

"I won't Uncle Vernon, thanks!" Vernon and Harry walked together to the cupboard under the stairs. Harry waited while Vernon fetched him some blankets and a pillow. "There you are, Harry! You're doing a very good thing! And remember, Aunt Petunia can never know!"

"What should I tell her?" he asked his Uncle.

"That you want nothing from her."

"But that isn't true!"

"Well, make it true, boy!"

"Okay," responded Harry sadly. Harry sat down in his new room in the cupboard under the stairs, and Vernon shut the door. At last, Vernon thought, his life would be put back on track.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** I have been incredibly excited about getting into what we are about to get into, which is why I couldn't wait until the weekend to give you all your next chapter! I have nothing to say about this chapter as I don't want to give anything away!

On to some reviews: First to a "guest" who said my story feels like canon and wishes that it was.. Thank you so very much! That is seriously one of the highest forms of gratitude that I could receive and you seriously made my day! I take pride in trying to keep it consistent with Rowling's style of writing so truly that means the world to me! To "Gunnarfiles" - I am also new to reading fanfiction as well. It took me forever to get into it and when I finally did, I actually only read two Harry Potter fics before deciding to write my own. Thank you for choosing mine as one of your firsts! To "Kiger-neko" - I know that you aren't a fan of Dramione, but I appreciate you hanging around. I use Dramione to bring out Draco's character, but as I said in the last chapter's notes, once a Malfoy, always a Malfoy. Also, this will be canon to the epilogue, so that should also give you some insight to what will eventually happen!

On a final note, Happy September the first! (in real life!) I hope you all made it King's Cross safely as the train left at 11:00am on the dot! If not, perhaps you can find another Ford Anglia hanging around outside!

Thank you so much as always, I'm enjoying sharing this with all of you! Please continue to review - it makes my day!


	45. Another Battle

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Forty-Five: Another Battle**

 **Jessica Ferguson – Present Day**

 **November 26, 2000**

"A trap?" repeated Molly, looking at Harry with a terrified glare.

"Hermione, Ron, start sending a message to every Order member that has a galleon; have them all meet outside of the Ministry. If we're lucky, we can-"

BOOM! There was a loud sound, and the entire Burrow shook. "Harry!" screamed George. "The backyard! We are being surrounded!" Everyone ran to the window and saw at least thirty people approaching the house with wands raised.

"Have the Order come here," Harry bellowed. "Now!" Jessica watched Ron and Hermione frantically send messages on their galleons, while the rest of the people in the house (minus Jessica) were pulling out their wands. "We need to hold them off until help gets here," Harry was telling the group.

"Jessica," said Ron. "Barricade you and Amelia in your room and do not come out until one of us comes and gets you." Jessica nodded, she didn't need telling twice. She ran upstairs and found Amelia curled up on her bed.

"Mummy, what was that noise?"

"It's okay, sweetie; everything will be okay." Jessica locked the door then pushed the dresser in front of it for good measure. She looked out of her bedroom window, but her room faced the side of the house so she couldn't really see anything. She felt the house shake again, and she went and hugged Amelia. "Shh, it's okay," she was saying to her daughter. "Everything is going to be alright."

"Lock the window!" Amelia was saying.

"I can't, sweetie, it doesn't lock."

"Lock the window!"

"Amelia, Mummy can't!" Suddenly, a bar appeared across the window.

"See? Ron did it for us!"

"How?" asked Amelia.

"He must have casted a spell from outside." The house started shaking for a second time, and Jessica shielded Amelia. "We need to get out of here," she whispered to herself. As if reading her mind, someone started to pound on her blocked door.

"Jessica!" came Ron's voice. "Open the door!" Relieved, Jessica pushed the dresser away and opened up.

"Thank goodness!" she said, seeing him.

"We need to get you both out of here, now!"

"What's going on?"

"It's Grindelwald and his followers," said Ron. "I don't have time to explain, I just need to get you both out of here." Jessica grabbed Amelia and started to follow Ron out of the room, his wand out in front, prepared to protect them. "You're going to go to the house of someone we trust," Ron said quietly, as he slowly made his way down the stairs, ensuring that no threat was hiding somewhere. "You're to go out the back and run to the next house; you'll see it atop the hill."

"You aren't coming with us?" Jessica asked surprised.

Ron shook his head. "I need to stay here and help, but I'll watch and make sure that you both make it safely. If I see anyone coming towards you, I'll stun them. But you need to keep running, do you understand? No matter what you hear or what you see, just keep running and don't stop until you get there!"

Jessica took a deep breath. "Okay." She knew she had to do whatever it took to protect her daughter, and she just had to trust that Ron would be okay.

"He knows that you're coming; I've already sent him a message with my galleon."

"But how will I know where to go?"

"It's the only other house in the area," he answered. "Just run in that direction," he said, pointing in the direction that he meant. "You'll recognize it when you see it; it looks like a giant rook."

She nodded and hugged Amelia tightly, prepared to run, when she saw a familiar face coming up towards them. "Nigel?" she said, bewildered.

"Head to the top of the house; you'll have a great vantage point there," she heard Ron say to Nigel, oblivious to the fact that Jessica had recognized him. Nigel took off up the stairs, and Ron turned back to Jessica. "You need to go, now!" Jessica headed to the back door and ran into Harry.

"Take this cloak," Harry said, throwing it over her and Amelia. "It will make you invisible."

"Now go, and remember, don't stop running!" said Ron.

"Stay safe!" she said to the pair of them, and then she ran. She ran as fast as she ever ran in her life. She hugged Amelia as tight as she could, kept her head bent, and ran as their lives depended on it. After a few moments, she saw in the distance the tall house that looked like a rook. She picked up her speed and ran for safety, all the while sounds of explosions were heard around her, as well as screams, and even laughter. Her legs her burning and she had barely any breath left, but still she ran. Finally, _miraculously_ , she saw the silhouette of a man standing in front of the house. Forcing herself to keep going, she finally made it to the man, through the cloak off of her and Amelia, and collapsed from exhaustion inside his front door. It took the man several moments before following her inside and closing the door.

"Are you alright?" the man asked her.

Jessica nodded. "Water," she struggled to say. The man obliged, giving her a glass of water. She drank it fast while he spoke.

"I have put the Fidelius Charm around my house. Do you know what that is?" Jessica nodded. "Very good. I am secret-keeper, so the three of us will be safe here."

"Thank you," said Jessica, finally catching her breath. "I'm Jessica, and this is my daughter Amelia."

"Ronald told me. My name is Xenophilius Lovegood." There was a loud bang coming from outside, and Amelia grabbed Jessica's leg. "We should go upstairs," said Xenophilius. "I don't think we will hear much up there." He pointed towards a spiral staircase, and Jessica and Amelia made their way up. As they made their way up however, Jessica stopped when she noticed a painting of a familiar face staring at her from the ceiling.

"Ron?" she said out loud.

"That is my daughter's room," Xenophilius answered, noticing where Jessica was looking. "She has painted a mural of her friends."

Jessica turned back to the mural and recognized others, like Harry, Ginny, and – Jessica gasped. "Nigel!"

Xenophilius followed her gaze. "I do not know all of their names, but I do think his name starts with an N, yes. This way, please," he said, indicating to a room off to the side. Jessica entered a cozy little room full of comfy arm chairs. She sat down on one across from Xenophilius, and pulled Amelia onto her lap. They sat in an awkward silence for awhile, until Jessica finally broke it.

"You have a nice house," she said.

Xenophilius nodded. "It was much nicer before the rebuild, but I still like it."

"Your house was rebuilt?"

"Oh yes. A few years ago, Mr. Potter and his friends blew it up! I have forgiven them of course, since they saved my Luna, but it would be nice if Ms. Granger stopped saying that it was due to an Erumpent horn! I do not understand how a fully aged witch cannot identify the horn of a Crumpled-Horned Snorkack when she sees one!"

Attempting to understand what he had just said to her, Jessica chose to ask about his daughter. "What happened to Luna?"

"She was taken by You-Know-Who's followers, but was saved by Mr. Potter and his friends, and she went on to fight at the battle of Hogwarts. She was quite successful, too; she had a hand in helping Mr. Potter take down You-Know-Who himself."

"Where is Luna now?"

"Over there," answered Xenophilius, turning his head in the direction of the Burrow. "I wish that she were here instead, but that's my Luna. She is very committed to her causes, see. She's part of the Order of the Phoenix as well."

"Good for her!" said Jessica, and she meant it, too. She looked down and noticed that Amelia had fallen asleep on her lap.

"You can lay her in Luna's bed," said Xenophilius, looking at Amelia. Jessica nodded and carried her daughter upstairs. She laid her down on Luna's bed and looked up at the painting of Nigel. It was very ironic to her that for the first time in Amelia's life, she would be watched over by her father. Trying to push Nigel from her mind, (for the moment, at least), she made her way back to the room where Xenophilius was, and joined him at the window where he was watching the battle. Not much could be seen from their distance, other than flashes of red and green light, and the sounds of loud booms and a few screams.

"Do you think they will be alright?" Jessica asked.

"I cannot say," Xenophilius answered truthfully. "But the Order of the Phoenix has been successful in recent years, so one could only hope that they would be successful once more."

"And," Jessica hesitated before continuing. "And if they aren't?"

"Then once the commotion dies down and all of the evil wizards have gone, I will remove the Fidelius Charm and take you and your daughter back to a muggle area." With that, Xenophilius left the room and left Jessica staring out of the window, wondering if she was going to lose any of the wonderful Weasleys, and, with a pang in her chest, Nigel.

 **Hermione Granger - Present Day**

 **November 26, 2000**

Hermione had barely made it out of the front door of the Burrow when she had to throw up her first defensive spell. She had been one of the first ones out of the house, hoping to stop the intruders in the yard, but she wasn't successful. She found herself continuously throwing spells around the property, thinking of every spell she had ever learned. From Defense Against the Dark Arts, from Harry through Dumbledore's Army, from spells she had read in books, even from spells taught to her through other Order of the Phoenix members, there was just no stopping the oncoming attack. It did not take long for the Order to arrive, and she watched as Tonks took on what looked like McNair the executioner. She was just about to look away when she saw Fenrir Greyback quietly approaching Tonks. "Protego!" Hermione yelled, putting a shield in front of Tonks and stopping Greyback from succeeding. Greyback had already caused enough trouble for the Lupin family, like hell she was going to let him cause some more. Satisfied that Tonks was safe from Greyback, she turned to her left and saw Kingsley battling two hooded men. "Protego!" she yelled again, as she saw a third one sneak up behind him. In front of her, Molly was fighting a witch that Hermione didn't recognize, but they were right in the open that Hermione feared Molly would be attack by another. "Protego!" she yelled for the third time, protecting yet another one of her team. She wasn't the best at stunning spells and she knew it, so she decided that she would use her skills of defensive spells, and protect her team while they tried and take down the rest. She felt someone run up behind her and she quickly turned, but breathed a sigh of relief when she realized that it was just Ron. "Is everyone alright?" she asked him.

"As far as I know," he replied. "Jessica and Amelia have been evacuated and they're safe. Stupefy!" he yelled, aiming his wand at someone in the near distance. A flash of green shot above them, and they both ducked as it hit the house and debris started to fall on them.

"Protego!" Hermione yelled, putting up a shield in front of her and Ron. There were spells being shot down from an upstairs window, and Hermione turned to go inside and stop them, but Ron grabbed her arm.

"It's just Neville, it's okay. Nobody has made it into the house." Hermione nodded in understanding, casting a protective charm in front of Hagrid, who was rushing towards them.

"Hagrid!" Hermione cried, when he was within earshot. "What are you doing here? You can't use magic!"

"Like hell I can't!" he replied, aiming his pink umbrella at a hooded wizard, sending him six feet into the air. "Where's Arthur?" asked Hagrid. "They musta tortured him to get him to reveal the location!"

"He must still be at the Ministry," said Ron, throwing three stunning spells, and missing, at Rookwood.

"I didn't see him," said Luna, joining the group and their conversation. "I was on duty there and he wasn't to be seen."

"He must be hiding then," said Ron, aiming another spell. "Oi, is that Corban Yaxley? George said he killed him at Hogwarts!"

"We shouldn't stand together like this," Hermione said. "We make for an easy target!"

"I'll go join Neville," replied Luna, heading inside the Burrow.

"I'll go this way, then," said Hagrid, heading to the side of the yard.

"Be careful, Hagrid!" Hermione called to him.

"Don' worry 'bout me, Hermione; it'll take a lot more than a stunnin' spell ter bring me down!"

"Have you seen Grindelwald?" Ron asked her, when it was just the two of them left.

"No, I wonder if he's even – wait! Is that him there?"

"I'm going," said Ron, aiming his wand and heading towards Grindelwald.

"Ron, wait!" said Hermione, pulling him back.

"Hermione, this is war! You take out the leader, you end the war! I'm going!"

"Ron, wait!"

"Hermione!"

"No, seriously! Look, he's retreating!" Hermione and Ron watched as Grindelwald started to leave the property, informing his followers to do the same.

"Why is he leaving?" asked Ron.

"Who cares! Let them go; we need to check on our team."

 **Harry Potter – Present Day**

 **November 26, 2000**

"Expelliarmus!" Harry yelled, reaching out and grabbing the wand that was flying towards him. Harry didn't recognize the man that he had disarmed, but he knew he was one of Grindelwald's followers and that was good enough for Harry. He was about to cast a spell to tie the man up so that he could question him afterwards, when the man smiled at him and pulled out another wand. Before Harry could react, however, the man disapparated. Harry looked around to find his next opponent, but nobody was to be seen. He realized that his recent duel had led him to the backyard, so he decided to go through the Burrow to the front, and hope to take someone out by surprise. He entered the back door quietly and had his wand out, tiptoeing through the house in case an enemy had hidden in there. As he made his way through the sitting room, he thought he had heard a noise and so he inched his way quietly along the wall, peering through the dark room, hoping to get a glimpse of whoever it was. Not paying attention to the ground, however, Harry's foot stepped on what fell like a spoon, and he slipped and fell onto the ground, with his left leg bending to the side in an awkward angle. "Argh!" he groaned, as he tried to move his leg. There was no denying it; he had broken it. From his difficult position on the floor, he managed to aim his wand in front of him, and prepared for any intruder that may walk into the room.

"Oh, Potter, it's you!" came the voice of Minerva McGonagall, as she walked into the room, her wand pointed at him. "Are you alright?"

"I broke my leg," Harry said. "But don't worry about me; go an help the others."

"The fight is over, Potter; they have retreated."

"What?" As Harry forced himself to sit up, he saw Molly, George, Angelina, Ron, Hermione, and, thankfully, Ginny walk into the room. "Ginny!" he cried, breathing a sigh of relief.

"I'm alright, what about you?"

"Fine, just a broken leg."

"You need to get to St. Mungo's to mend it," prompted Molly.

Harry shook his head. "They'll be busy with more serious injuries. If it's alright with you, er, Minerva," Harry said awkwardly. She would always be Professor McGonagall to him. "Can I just go to Hogwarts and have Madam Pomfrey mend it?"

"Of course, Potter," she replied.

Harry nodded his thanks. "So, they retreated?"

"It seems like it," said Molly. "Although we are unsure as to why, but it is better this way. The rest of the Order is mending to our injured as we speak."

"Any word on Dad?" asked Ginny.

"Luna said he wasn't at the Ministry," said Ron.

"Well, that's good to hear," said Angelina. "It means that their plan to ambush him didn't work."

"I wonder if the clock would tell me, although, I'm sure all of our names are at _mortal peril_ right now," sighed Molly.

"The clock won't tell you," said Harry, grunting as he tried to adjust his leg to a more comfortable position. "It's been smashed; someone must have fought in here."

"Really?" Molly frowned. "The house doesn't look like it has been attacked."

"Harry," said Hermione slowly, approaching the clock. "The clock isn't broken; everyone's hand is there, grouped together at _mortal peril_."

"What? But that's how I broke my leg; I slipped on one of the arms." Harry slid his way towards the couch, where the arm that he had slipped on got pushed underneath. Reaching for it, Harry pulled out the arm and turned it so that everyone could read the name on it: _Arthur_.

"When… When Freddie… He… He… Died," stammered George, slowly putting his hand down his shirt and pulling something out from around his neck. "I f-found this… It was on the f-floor…" He removed his hand to reveal Fred's hand from the magical clock.

"No!" gasped Molly. "No! Arthur! ARTHUR!" Ginny rushed to her mother and put her arms around her. Dazed due to the information that he was processing, Harry nor anyone else didn't hear anyone walk in through the front door. They didn't see them raise their wand, and they didn't hear them cast a spell. All that he saw was a flash of green light, and Ginny and Molly were on the ground.

 **Sirius Black – The Past**

 **October 31, 1981**

Sirius had another swig from the bottle in front of him. It was only three o'clock in the afternoon and yet he was already drunk. He pulled out the letter that he had received from his mother just two days prior, and read it once more.

 _Sirius,_

 _You are to arrive at our house at five o'clock in the evening on the thirty-first of October to prepare for your wedding that will take place at six o'clock of the same day. You are to attend, Sirius, or you will lose your friends, and I can assure you, it will be a most painful death._

His mother didn't sign the letter, but it was all too obvious who it was from. He took yet another swig. He originally had no intentions of marrying Iris, but his concern for James, Lily, Harry, and their unborn baby had him second guessing his decision. Since Wormtail was secret-keeper, however, his mother would never be able to get to them. If they were safe from Voldemort himself, then they were safe from Walburga Black. But did he really want to put them in more danger than they were already in? Voldemort would eventually fall and they would be able to lift the Fidelius Charm and be vulnerable, and Sirius knew all too well that his mother would stop at nothing to take them down if he refused. Would it really be so bad to marry the wench? He would still do as he pleases, regardless if he was married. The purpose of his marriage, of course, was to give the Black name an heir, but he would be sure that he would never succeed in doing so. He would sleep with the wench, (sex was sex, after all), but he would secretly cast the contraceptive charms each time. His mother would never forgive him for being infertile, as he would claim that he was, but what did he care what she thought? He had already been disowned by them before, and he preferred it that way anyway. He looked at his watch: four o'clock; an hour early, his mother would be pleased. Finishing the last bit of firewhiskey in the bottle, Sirius apparated to the court just outside of number 12 Grimmauld Place. Sighing, he took one step forward, but stopped abruptly when he saw an owl flying towards him. He reached out for the letter and recognized immediately the hurried scribble of James Potter.

 _Padfoot,_

 _Wormtail just left here but something is up. He's acting extremely weird – more so than usual. Can you please go and check on him? It's urgent. I don't know why, but I feel like he's getting cold feet about the whole situation._

 _Prongs_

Without hesitating, Sirius turned around and apparated to the Pettigrew house. It probably was Wormtail being a paranoid rat as always, but Sirius needed to snap him out of it; James, Lily, and Harry's life depended on it. When he arrived at the Pettigrew house, he noticed that all the lights were off. Clearly, not even Peter's parents were home. Sirius disapparated again and headed towards known places that Peter frequented. He looked down at his watch again after arriving at the third place: quarter after four. He disapparated again and continued his search for Peter. He had less than forty-five minutes to get to his parent's house, otherwise the Potter family would be in much more danger than they already were in.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** I will not discuss this chapter with you all, as I do not want to give anything away! Take what you will from it!

To reply to reviews: " 315" I am so glad that I can help you through your long shifts at work; thank you for reading! To "Keither Serenity" a few of your questions have been answered in this chapter, but in terms of Neville and Jessica, now that she has seen him at the Burrow and knows that he knows Ron, everything will be coming out! The Wedding Knot will be seen a lot in this story, so you'll learn more and more about it as we go on... In terms of Sirius, you'll find out who "Iris Dartmouth" is, and plenty of other stuff, too! As for Harry's sister, I can't say much on that right now, but there is going to be plenty on her in this story!

Hope you all have enjoyed this chapter; see you at the next one! As always, thanks!


	46. Meet the Wilkins

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Forty-Six: Meet the Wilkins**

 **Draco Malfoy – Present Day**

 **November 26, 2000**

Draco took a deep breath and straightened out his robes. He wasn't someone who usually got nervous, but this was crucial to his and Hermione's freedom, and so, he was, in fact, a little nervous. Clearing his throat, he finally raised his hand and knocked on the door. It wasn't long before a man in his mid to late forties opened the door. "Good day, Sir," said Draco, trying his best to sound polite. "My name is Draco Malfoy and I have something urgent that I need to discuss with you." He waited for the man to reply, but he did not, so Draco continued. "I know this is going to sound odd, but it would be in both of our interests if this conversation was done in private. May I come in? I have no weapons on me but I am a wizard so I do have a wand. I can leave it sitting on the table or something if it makes you feel more comfortable?" Draco waited nervously, terrified that his plan was not going to work. Miraculously, the man opened the door wider, and allowed for Draco to walk through. "Thank you," said Draco, and he stepped over the threshold. He walked over to the table where the man led him to, and although he was not asked, he still removed his wand and laid it about three feet away from him to help the man feel more comfortable. After a few moments, the man returned with a woman who had a curious look on her face, as she placed a tray of tea and biscuits on the table in front of him. "Thank you," said Draco, helping himself to a cup.

"Well, go on then," said the man. "I assume this is about the letter?"

"What letter?" asked Draco.

"From the British Ministry of Magic," he replied. "When you introduced yourself at the door, your name was familiar to me as I had read it in the letter. Isn't that why you're here? To explain it to me?"

"I think so," said Draco. "But I didn't realize that there was a letter sent out as well, may I read it?" The man handed Draco a letter, and he began to read:

 _Dear Mr. and Mrs. Granger,_

 _This is an official notice from the Ministry of Magic informing you that you are to meet with Ms. Dolores Umbridge to discuss the matter of the Ritual Knot between Ms. Hermione Granger and Mr. Draco Malfoy. As parents to a witch, you are required to attend and fulfill the Ministry's requirements. The meeting is scheduled to be held on the twenty-second day of December, at the household of the Malfoys._

 _Hoping you are well,_

 _Dolores Umbridge_

The man began to speak when Draco finished reading the letter. "When it was addressed to Mr. and Mrs. Granger, I knew that it was clearly sent to the wrong address, but something inside of me told me that I just had to open it. It was foolish of me, I know, but I did it anyway."

"I didn't know that you kept the letter," the woman said to her husband.

"I did," he replied, "although I am not sure why."

"Magic can be funny that way sometimes," said Draco.

"What do you mean?" the woman asked.

"You are Wendell and Monica Wilkins?" Draco asked them. The man and the woman nodded. "Do the names Patrick and Susan Granger mean anything to you?"

"No," answered Monica honestly. "Should they?"

Draco sighed. "Look, what I'm about to tell you is going to sound very strange, but I ask that you at least hear me out." Wendell and Monica nodded, and so Draco began. "You're aware of the whole war in 1998 between Harry Potter and The Dark Lord?"

"Oh yes," replied Monica. "We pride ourselves in being educated in what goes on in the world, in both the magical one and ours."

"We have a library full of books," added Wendell.

"Of course you would," Draco said smiling. "Well then, you'll know that Harry Potter along with his two friends set out to try and take down the Dark Lord." When they nodded, Draco added, "those two friends were Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger."

"I knew that name sounded familiar to me," said Wendell.

"To make a long story short," said Draco, knowing all to well that this would be a long story regardless, "Hermione and Ron had families that they needed to protect from the Dark Lord's followers. Since Hermione was considered a muggle-born and Ron was considered a blood-traitor, their families would be in jeopardy if they did not turn over their children. So Ron protected his family by changing his ghoul in the attack to look like him and made him look sick with an illness known as spattergroit."

"I'm sorry, a ghoul?" asked Monica.

"Monsters and creatures and that kind of stuff are real in our world," answered Draco. "Anyway, spattergroit is contagious, so nobody would want to go near the ghoul to confirm if it was actually Ron or not, so that kept his family safe. See, they were pureblood wizards and so their magical status was not in danger."

"Very intelligent of him," stated Wendell.

Draco snorted. Weasley intelligent? That was definitely worth a laugh. "Well, Hermione was unable to do something similar," he continued. "See, because her parents were muggles and didn't know magic, they would have been in much more danger than the Weasleys. If the Dark Lord's followers had gotten a hold of them, not only would they have been murdered, they would have been painfully tortured. First, for the whereabouts of Hermione, then just for fun because they were muggles."

"How horrible!" Monica gasped.

"So you see why Hermione had to protect them. She did probably the hardest thing that anyone had to do; she wiped their memories and gave them a new identity."

"The poor dear," cried Monica. "How brave of her! Has she been able to reconnect with them since the war?"

Draco shook his head. "The spell she used is irreversible but she had no other option. So essentially, she lost her parents forever in order to keep them safe." Monica had such a look of sadness on her face, but Wendell was frowning.

"I'm assuming that Hermione's parents were named Patrick and Susan Granger?" asked Wendell.

"They were," Draco responded. "Or rather, they _are_."

Wendell picked up the letter from Umbridge and frowned. "And did she change their names to Wendell and Monica Wilkins?" Draco smiled at him. It was clear where Hermione got her intelligence from.

"Wendell, this can't be true!" said Monica horrified.

"I know that it sounds bizarre," said Draco. He pulled a photo of Patrick and Susan with a six-year-old Hermione from out of his robes. They, of course, looked exactly like Wendell and Monica. As the pair looked at the picture, Monica started to cry. "We have full memories, though," she said. "I can even remember my childhood!"

"Hermione is an extraordinary witch; she was able to create all of that."

"So, what's real, then?"

"Hermione casted the charm in the summer of 1998, so anything after that would be real memories."

"1998," repeated Wendell slowly. "Monica, that was the year we made the decision to move from England to Australia… It makes sense…"

"If this were all true, why doesn't she just lift the spell, then?" asked Monica.

"A memory charm that powerful is impossible to remove. She has been working on a reversal spell since the end of the war but hasn't gotten very far."

"So what are you asking of us, Draco?" asked Wendell. "Since you know that we would be unable to remember her, why are you here?"

Draco sighed. "It's a long story, but I'm sure you've heard the of recent attacks happening in Britain?"

Monica nodded. "It's very sad."

"Well, you see, it's led to plenty of problems in our Ministry, including the employment of bad witches and wizards. Anyway, I ended up needing to get out of a situation, and so Hermione and I created what's known as a Ritual Knot. It's basically a magical binding between a witch and wizard, kind of like a betrothal." Wendell and Monica listened patiently for Draco to continue. "The thing is, the Ritual Knot that we claimed to be ours isn't really ours, and now this evil witch, Umbridge, is trying to prove that."

"And this witch knows that Hermione has modified our memories?" Wendell asked.

"She suspects it," Draco answered. "Which is why she has summoned you to a meeting, in hopes that she can prove that Hermione and I had lied."

"And what would happen if she knew you lied?" asked Monica.

"We would be sent to a prison known as Azkaban. It's filled with creatures known as Dementors, who feed on your soul and suck all of the happiness out of you."

"So you want us to what? Say that we were present at this Ritual?" asked Wendell.

"A Ritual Knot requires both fathers to be there, so in order for it to work, you would had have to have been there. I would give you all of the details and everything so you would know what you're saying." When Wendell and Monica didn't reply, Draco added, "I know you don't see it, but Hermione gave up a lot to save you both, now I'm asking you to save her."

"You've given us a lot to think about," said Wendell.

"I understand; shall I come back in a week?"

"That would be appreciated," replied Wendell.

"Can I keep the photograph?" asked Monica.

"Of course." Draco grabbed his wand and put it on the inside of the robes. "All I will ask, though, is regardless of what happens, please don't repeat this to anyone. I hope that you believe me, but in the off chance that you don't, repeating this information can have Hermione killed."

"Nobody will know about this conversation," said Wendell.

"Thank you." Draco left the house and headed towards the city border so that he could start his apparition process back home, when he felt his galleon grow hot in his pocket. He pulled it out and read a message from Hermione:

 _Fight at the Burrow - Grindelwald - come quickly!_

 **Harry Potter – Present Day**

 **November 28, 2000**

Harry arrived at the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts twenty minutes late. "Sorry, Professor," Harry said to Professor McGonagall, who had been waiting for him, forgetting that he was asked to call her Minerva now. "There's been a lot on my mind."

"Of course, Potter, no problem at all. Madam Pomfrey, however, has stepped out of the Wing to attend a staff meeting. Make yourself comfortable on one of the beds; she will be with you when she can."

"Thanks." Harry hobbled his way over on his good leg, and collapsed on the nearest bed. The last two days had been so hectic and so emotionally draining, that Harry hadn't even had the chance to mend his broken leg yet. As he laid back on the bed, he thought about Grindelwald and his current attack. "What are you up to?" Harry asked out loud, trying to figure out Grindelwald's game plan.

"I'm sorry?" came a voice from the bed beside him. The curtains were drawn back and Harry saw an unfamiliar witch looking at him.

"Sorry," he said, "I didn't know anyone else was here."

"No problem," she said, rubbing her left arm. Harry looked to her bedside table and recognized the bottle sitting on top of it.

"Ugh, Skele-Gro! I had to take that in my second year; I definitely do not envy you."

"It's awful, isn't it?" the witch replied. "It's my own fault, though. Next time, I won't allow my students to try and transfigure an item right next to me!"

"Your students?"

"Yes, I am the new Transfiguration Professor, Indira Patil. I just started this year."

"I forgot that McGonagall had retired from teaching this year!" Harry said.

"It's a lot for her to take on, being Headmistress and everything else she does."

Harry nodded. "I agree. Hang on a minute, did you say you were a Patil?"

"I did."

"So, do you know Parvati and Padma Patil?"

Indira smiled. "They are my cousins."

"I went to school with them," Harry said. "I'm Harry Potter."

"Goodness!" said Indira. "Well, I would be lying if I didn't say I knew exactly who you were! Didn't you take Parvati to the Yule Ball in your fourth year?"

"I wasn't a very good date," Harry admitted.

Indira laughed. "I heard your friend Ron was a lot worse."

Now it was Harry's turn to laugh. "He had his reasons."

"No judgement from me!"

"So, a student removed the bones from your left arm?"

Indira nodded. "Someone in first level, who really should be in sixth by now! I don't know how he managed to remove all of my bones, to be honest; he was supposed to be trying to transfigure a napkin into a pillow!"

"I had mine removed by a Professor; you would think he would have at least known what he was doing!"

Indira laughed, but before she could reply, Madam Pomfrey came storming into the wing in a fuss. "Two days, Potter? _Two days_? I could have this mended in two seconds; why on earth are you waiting for two days?!"

Harry, while being scolded by Madam Pomfrey, smiled at Indira. "It was a pleasure meeting you," he said.

"The pleasure was all mine."

"Two days! Seriously!"

 **Neville Longbottom – Present Day**

 **November 28, 2000**

"Did my dad pass by yet?" Luna asked Neville, as she arrived at Headquarters.

Neville nodded. "Just gave me access to the house and then said he was going into Diagon Alley. I suppose it's now or never," he said.

"It'll be alright, Neville," she said to him.

"Yeah," he said, not confidently. He slowly made his way from Headquarters to the Lovegood's house. The front door was unlocked when he arrived, and so he walked in and made his way up the stairs and to the sitting room where he found Jessica and her daughter playing. He couldn't read the look on her face, but knew there was a bit of both surprise and anger to see him.

"Come on, I think you should play upstairs," she said to the little girl. Neville sat down and waited for Jessica to return. He had known that Ron had a girlfriend named Jessica, but never in a million years would he have suspected that it would be _that_ Jessica. And she had a daughter, which meant... _He_ had a daughter…

"Hello," he said nervously, when Jessica returned and sat across from him. The pair sat in silence for what felt like ages. Neville had no idea what to say to her.

"When are the funerals?" Jessica finally asked, breaking the silence.

"One is in a few hours; the other one is tomorrow." After another moment of silence, Neville started to speak. "Jessica, look-"

But Jessica cut him off. "How long have you known?" she asked him.

"Known what?"

"That I was here with Ron?"

"The battle was the first time, I swear. I knew he had a girlfriend named Jessica, but I never would have thought that it was you."

"We were together at the Yule Ball."

"I didn't see Ron there," he answered truthfully.

"You're supposed to be good friends with Luna," Jessica replied. "And she was at our table."

"I, uh, went to the Ball with Essa, Ron's ex, so I purposely didn't sit at Ron's table."

"That was you?"

"You saw me?" Neville asked.

Jessica shook her head. "I saw Essa and the back of some guy, I didn't know that it was you." There was more silence yet again before Jessica spoke. "What are you doing here, Nigel?"

"Oh, uh…" Neville stammered. "My name isn't actually Nigel," he said.

"You lied about your name?" she said angrily.

"To protect you!"

Jessica rolled her eyes. "What is your name, then?"

"Neville."

 _You're_ Neville?"

"You've heard of me?"

"It must be another Neville that they talk about," Jessica said rudely. "Because the way Ginny and Ron describe him, he doesn't sound like a pathetic coward."

"I suppose I deserve that," Neville frowned.

"You deserve a lot more!"

"Can I please just explain?" Jessica folded her arms but didn't speak, and so Neville took it as his opportunity to explain. "Look, when we met, I was running away from Death Eaters. Do you know what Death-"

"Yes, I know what they are!" she yelled. "Unlike you, Ron doesn't hide shit from me!"

"Because he doesn't have the Statute of Secrecy on his back," Neville mumbled.

"What?" she asked, annoyed.

"The Statute of Secrecy was in effect when I met you; I wasn't legally allowed to tell you anything!"

"There are many families that are half-blood; Ginny told me all about them."

"Yeah, and?" asked Neville, confused.

"So, _obviously_ the Statute had been broken several times, otherwise those families wouldn't exist!"

Neville sighed. "If it was a different time, I would have told you. You don't think I wanted to spend forever with you in that tent? I didn't tell you to protect you. Muggles were being targeted and I couldn't let you be in any more danger than you already were."

"So you left me alone in the woods?"

"I put protective spells around you."

Jessica snorted. "Don't you think I would have been safer with a wizard?"

"No, I don't. A muggle being associated with a wizard would have been the worst thing for you, actually. Jessica, there was a full-blown war going on and I had a duty to help! I didn't mean to run into you – I don't regret it, either! – But I had a job to do and I needed to do it." Jessica said nothing but instead looked away. Neville hoped that he was getting through to her. "So, Amelia is-"

"Don't you DARE mention Amelia!" Jessica screamed. "You have no right to even talk about her!"

"I know you're mad…"

"You don't even know the half of it, Neville! Get out!"

"What?"

"I said get out! I'm not doing this right now! And DON'T say anything to anyone, do you hear me?"

"Luna and her father already know," Neville said quietly. "But they won't tell a soul!" he added.

"Nobody else is to know," she said, calming down. "I'll be the one to tell Ron… When I'm ready."

"What are you going to say?" Neville asked.

"That you're the pig who left me! GET OUT!"

 **Vernon Dursley – The Past**

 **December 16, 1986**

"Petunia, I don't like this," grumbled Vernon, as he watched his wife get ready.

"Dudley is her grandson, Vernon. She is my mother! She hasn't seen him since he was a baby and it is almost Christmas."

"But Petunia, Darling, she doesn't even recognize us! Her Alzheimer's is really bad."

"You know it isn't Alzheimer's, Vernon," she said sternly, straightening her blouse.

"Yes, but even still-"

"I am taking Dudley, Vernon; please do not argue."

Vernon growled. It wasn't common for Petunia to demand something, but Vernon let it slide. "We are at least in agreement that the Potter boy is not attending," he said for probably the tenth time.

"Mrs. Figg has already agreed to watch him."

"Good. And Dudley? Do you think he is old enough to understand that he cannot tell him?"

"Our Duddykins is very advanced, Vernon; if Mummy and Daddy tell him not to tell his mean old cousin, then he will not."

"Very well, then, shall we go?" Vernon smiled as he led his wife out of their room. His plan was working much more quickly than he could ever have imagined.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** A short one today, but important nonetheless, particularly Draco's meeting with the Wilkins. So, this chapter has confirmed that we lost TWO characters during the fight at the Burrow. The next chapter will inform you of one, and the chapter after that will inform you of the second. (Suspense is fun, right?)

Reviews: To "guest", no I will not tell you if Molly or Ginny are dead; you'll just have to wait and see! (Sorry!) For the other "guest", I'm sorry about all the feels.. It makes for a good story though, right? To "Paulies1994" thank you so much and I am glad you like it so far!

That's all I will say today! Thanks as always and keep reviewing!


	47. Sectumsempra

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Forty-Seven: Sectumsempra**

 **Remus Lupin – Present Day**

 **December 1, 2000**

"Harry, I know you're upset, but you need to think logically!" Remus was trying to calm Harry down, but he was not succeeding.

"He is destroying my family! I will not have another Voldemort on my hands!"

"Harry, we will get him, but this isn't the way!" Remus followed Harry to a few apparition points until they were at a big hill. "Harry, just stop for one second!"

"What?" yelled Harry, but stopping and turning to face Remus regardless.

"What is your plan?"

"To stop him."

"How?"

Harry shrugged. "I'll worry about that when I get there."

"You need a plan!"

"I'll come up with something."

"Harry, that isn't a safe idea!"

"I DON'T CARE!" Harry bellowed. "Remus, he's killed hundreds if not thousands already! He killed that muggle girl's parents, he killed Essa, he's just killed Arthur and he's just killed-"

"I know, Harry," said Remus, cutting him off. "He needs to be stopped, I agree, but we need a plan!"

"I have one; I'm going after him and that's a good enough plan to me." Harry stormed off over the hill and, sighing, Remus followed. Harry stopped once he passed a little shack, and stared out into the empty field.

"Is this where his hideout is?" asked Remus.

Harry nodded. "His house is cloaked by the Fidelius Charm, but this was where Ginny had said that it was a few months ago."

"What now?"

"You should leave, Remus. Teddy-"

"Has Dora; it is you that needs me right now."

Harry nodded. He took a deep breath, took out his wand, and yelled. "GRINDELWALD!" It wasn't long before Grindelwald himself came into view, with a hooded person to his left, and Thicknesse a few paces behind him.

"Harry Potter!" said Grindelwald pleasantly. "Welcome to my home! To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"This ends now, Grindelwald!"

"Did my friends kill someone important, Harry Potter? My deepest condolences." Harry made to move, but Remus grabbed his arm. "Your friend there is smart," said Grindelwald, nodding to Remus. "And you are…?"

"Sirius Black," Harry answered for him.

"Your Godfather is dead, Harry Potter. I suppose if you do not wish to introduce your friends, then I will not introduce mine." Remus studied the person under the cloak, and noticed that they were wearing heels; his companion was clearly a woman. "So, have you come to negotiate?" Grindelwald continued.

"I've come to end this," responded Harry.

"Wonderful!"

"By killing you."

Grindelwald laughed. "Well, that isn't going to happen, so let's talk about a _real_ solution; my Hallows."

"Even if I did decide to give them to you, you wouldn't stop."

"I give you my word."

"Your word is worthless," spat Harry.

"An Unbreakable Vow, then?" asked Grindelwald.

"What?" asked Remus. An Unbreakable Vow that was broken would cause the person to die; Grindelwald would never put himself in that position.

"I don't trust you," said Harry sternly.

"You don't need to; an Unbreakable Vow is, well, _unbreakable_. Let the spell do all the trusting! You can cast the spell, can't you, _Sirius_?' asked Grindelwald, looking at Remus.

" _You_ would agree to an Unbreakable Vow?" asked Remus skeptically.

"Well, I did bring it up, didn't I?"

Remus, however, wasn't having it. "You are willing to magically agree to stop killing or have anyone kill on your behalf, if you get the Deathly Hallows?"

"I would make an Unbreakable Vow right now that says I will stop the killing of innocent people once Harry Potter provides me with all three Deathly Hallows. I would of course put a time limit on there as well, though."

"A time limit?" questioned Harry.

"Of course! I'm not going to be the only one who has his life on the line! We will make it so that you must fulfill your end of the bargain within ten days."

"Ten days?" repeated Harry. "You know I wouldn't be able to get them all in ten days."

Grindelwald shrugged. "Well then, come to me when you _can_ make it happen and we shall do our Vow. Until then, I will continue as I am."

"What happened to the Greater Good?" Harry asked angrily.

"This _is_ for the Greater Good, Harry Potter. I need the Hallows for the Greater Good, and killing people will force you to bring them to me. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some people to kill." Grindelwald smiled and turned around and headed towards his safety boundaries with the hooded witch on his arm. Remus watched Harry raise his wand at Grindelwald's back, but Remus quickly grabbed his arm and lowered it.

"You won't succeed, Harry," he said quietly. "You may not see them, but he has an entire guard here. Let's go." Remus held his breath, afraid that he still couldn't reason with Harry, but relinquished it once Harry started to walk back to the apparating point.

 **Harry Potter – Present Day**

 **December 1, 2000**

Harry sat at the kitchen table at number 12 Grimmauld Place with Remus. He sipped his butterbeer in silence while he watched Remus reading the Daily Prophet across from him. "Why do you read that rubbish?" Harry asked him.

"Keep your enemies close, Harry. One mistake the Ministry always makes is revealing everything they know."

"The Ministry is an enemy?" Harry asked confused. "I know Kingsley and I aren't getting along right now, but-"

"Kingsley is the Minister, not the Ministry. There are many people at the Ministry and I would say that there are more foes than there are friends."

Harry sat quietly for awhile thinking, before he spoke again. "What do I do?" he finally asked.

"In regards to what?" asked Remus, putting the Prophet down.

"Grindelwald. If he would actually agree to make the Vow…"

"You aren't considering giving him the Hallows, are you?"

Harry shrugged. "He can have the stone but he will never get my cloak."

"And the Elder Wand? I'm sure that's the one he wants the most."

"But if he makes the Vow…"

"He will find a way around it; this I am sure of."

"But the Vow would kill him."

"Perhaps. But you don't think he would take precautions?"

"Like what?" asked Harry. "Horcruxes?"

"I don't know, to be honest," answered Remus. "I believe that the Vow would kill your entire soul, so I don't believe Horcruxes would work in this case."

"Then what can he do?"

Remus thought for a moment before speaking. "Can you summon Kreacher here?" he asked Harry.

Confused, Harry obeyed. "Kreacher!" There was a tiny pop, and the ugly house-elf appeared.

"Master called for Kreacher?" asked the elf.

"Er, yes. Remus wanted to see you."

Kreacher turned to Remus. "What does the Werewolf want of Kreacher?"

"Kreacher," started Remus. "Sirius had a large brown box that you were told to keep safe. Bring it to us, please."

When Kreacher didn't move, Harry added, "Do it, Kreacher."

"Yes, Master," Kreacher responded to Harry. "Kreacher lives to serve his Master." Kreacher left but returned momentarily with a box much bigger than him.

"Thank you, Kreacher," said Harry, taking the box. "You can go back to Hogwarts." Without saying a word, Kreacher left with another tiny pop. "What's this?" Harry asked.

"This," said Remus, opening the box and starting to flip through old newspaper clippings, "is what Sirius used to call his treasure chest. He would keep any article that he thought was important. Contrary to what his actions showed, Sirius was quite brilliant, and a lot of what he learned came from these articles."

"So, are they about spells or something?" Harry asked.

"More like experiences. If something were to happen that is not considered common, Sirius would keep it. He's the reason that himself, James, and Peter learned how to become Animagus. He had found an article on it one time and saved it. Ah, here we are," he said, pulling out a very old article. "This one is from 1978, but I remember the day that Sirius ripped it out of the Prophet that I was reading. One that I wasn't finished reading yet, I might add. Here, have a read."

Harry accepted the article from him and began to read:

 _Milliard_ _Feston, of 63 Canterbury Avenue, is the first person, known to the Ministry, to ever break an Unbreakable Vow and live to tell the day. "It's very simple," said Feston from his Azkaban cell. "Before I made the Vow, I made another Unbreakable Vow with Stiffy." Stiffy is the nickname of Phillip Stifford, the wizard who casted the Unbreakable Vow that was broken. "Stiffy vowed that any Unbreakable Vows that he casted would not be effective. We threw in any combination of sentences that basically had the same meaning. So, when I made the Vow with Todd [Ministry Official Todd Paddock], since Stiffy casted it, it didn't have any merit." The Ministry has since looked into this method and have yet to find any proof that it works. Furthermore, reckless witches and wizards have tried this method since and had failed. "I don't know why it worked for me," said Feston, "but it did. I didn't know if it would but it was worth chancing and clearly I haven't died yet."_

Harry stopped reading and looked up at Remus. "So this really works?"

"Well, it worked for him, but nobody since. I feel like there must be more that Feston isn't saying, but the point is, Harry, that I wouldn't trust a wizard like Grindelwald."

Harry thought for awhile. "I need to test him then," he said finally.

"How?"

"I'll tell him I'll do one at a time. We can start with the stone and see what happens from there. I'll say he needs to keep the peace for a month and then I'll give him the next one."

"You will?"

"No, but I need to see if he can get around the Vow or not."

"Harry, he will make you swear as well that you WILL give him the next one if he keeps the peace."

"Well, what else am I supposed to do then?" said Harry angrily.

"I don't know," said Remus, digging through the box. "Sirius was always resourceful; I'll go through these and see what I can find."

"Thanks," said Harry.

"In the meantime, Harry, don't you think you should get to the hospital?"

 **Hermione Granger – Present Day**

 **December 6, 2000**

Hermione looked down at the sheet of parchment in front of her. "How many did we get?" asked Ron, from over her shoulder.

"Sixteen," she answered, still looking down at the parchment. "I'm a little concerned about this one, though," she said, pointing to the seventh person on the list.

"Dennis Creevey?" said Ron, reading the name. "Collin's little brother?"

Hermione nodded. "He completed Hogwarts just last month; I've never seen someone fast-track like that before."

"You would have if you didn't have other commitments."

"I suppose…" she said, trailing off.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Ron asked her.

"It's always unnerving to add new people to the Order; you never really know someone's true intentions. But with all of the attacks and all of the guard duty needed, it was essential to expand the Order."

"They all seem trustworthy," answered Ron, reading the names on the list. "Besides, there's your protective charms on it from allowing anyone to speak."

"It won't stop them from trying," corrected Hermione, "but there would be grave consequences and the Order would be notified." She studied the list longer. "Who is Indira Patil? Harry had said to accept her but I've never heard of her before."

"No idea, but if it came from Harry then I'm not worried." Ron reached for a cookie that was sitting on a plate at the centre of the table. "Anybody that didn't make the list?" Ron asked her through mouthfuls of food.

"Just two," she responded. "Draco wasn't allowed in."

"He wanted to join?"

"He's on our side, Ron! Not allowing him into the Order is a farse!"

"The Order has rules," said Ron plainly. "No ex-Death Eaters allowed." Before Hermione could say anything in Draco's defense, Ron asked, "Who was the second person?"

"Ralph Daniels," she answered.

Ron nearly choked on his cookie. " _Him_? Hermione, he's a descendant of You-Know-Who!"

"Yes, Ronald, why do you think he wasn't allowed in?"

"We need to investigate him."

"I quite agree."

"You do?" asked Ron, surprised.

"Of course! A living Gaunt shows up out of nowhere? There's much more to this story. Do you remember Harry telling us about the memory Dumbledore showed him of where Merope Gaunt grew up?" Ron nodded. "Well, I've been doing some research, and I think I've found the location."

"You want to go there?" asked Ron.

"I think we need to."

"Shall we go then?" asked Ron, standing up.

"What? Now?" asked Hermione.

"Why not? It needs to be done, so why not now?"

"We should wait for Harry…"

"Harry has enough to deal with right now," said Ron quietly. "He hasn't mourned…"

"Neither have you, Ron," Hermione added quietly.

"I would rather be distracted. Come on, let's go."

Reluctantly, Hermione followed Ron out the door, but she conducted the side-along apparition since she was the one who knew where it was. "That must be the house where the muggle Riddle's lived," said Hermione, pointing to a large house to the left. "So the cottage must be this way." The pair didn't have to walk very far to find the very old and very rundown cottage.

"There's no way he lives here, Hermione," said Ron, walking towards the cottage. "Maybe there's something worth seeing inside though."

"Ron, wait!" said Hermione, pulling him back.

"What?" he asked her, annoyed.

"Something's off…" she said, slowly looking around. "You don't feel it?"

"What am I supposed to feel?"

"Magic!"

"Magic? Really, Hermione?"

"No, quiet! I think he's cloaked the cottage!"

"What are you talking abou-" Ron started to say, but stopped in his tracks when he saw Hermione cast a spell. Suddenly, the rundown cottage was gone, and the pair were standing in front of a very modern and clean cottage.

"He charmed it," explained Hermione. "Anyone who comes across it will think it's a rundown cottage and assume that nobody lives here."

"If he didn't want anyone to know, wouldn't it have made more sense to just use the Fidelius Charm?"

"The Fidelius Charm makes your house invisible, Ron. It's used when you need to hide from someone who already knows where you live. If this was under the Fidelius Charm, we would look at it and see nothing at all and _know_ that it was under the charm. By cloaking it, people won't know that anyone actually lives here; it's brilliant!"

"Well, he's clearly hiding something. Shall we take a look?"

Hermione nodded and stepped forward. "Just be careful, Ron; he may have traps set up." Ron opened his mouth to reply, but suddenly, a voice cackled from behind them.

"I don't need traps; I can protect this place on my own. Sectumsempra!"

 **Walburga Black – The Past**

 **October 31, 1981**

Walburga looked down at her watch: 7:30pm. "Where are you, Sirius Black?" she asked outloud.

"I should ask you the same thing!" came the voice of Gregory Dartmouth. "You had promised me that your eldest son would marry my daughter! I did not agree to this charade! You should be lucky that I am even allowing your pathetic excuse of a son marry my daughter."

"Do not act like this marriage does not benefit you, Gregory. The Dartmouth name is nothing compared to the house of Black! You need this marriage to solidify your family's standings!"

"Well? Where is he, then?" asked Gregory, ignoring Walburga's statement.

"I do not know," she answered bitterly.

"Do you think this is some kind of joke? My daughter completed the Ritual Knot! He is the only person she can marry! If you think I am going to allow your family to-"

"Easy, Gregory," said Orion, approaching his wife along with a few of his youngest son's Death Eater companions. "Your daughter will not be stuck without a husband or an heir."

"But Sirius is not here!" spat Gregory.

"Walburga, did Sirius know the consequences of not showing up today?"

"He did."

"Very well, then. You two, go and find Sirius and bring him here." Orion said to the Death Eaters.

"You are going to force him?" asked Gregory.

"I am going to let him watch his loved ones die in front of him then let him decide if he will start complying to our ways. If he chooses not to, then do not worry Gregory, we will kill Sirius and Iris will be free from her Knot."

"And then what? All of the good families are taken! What is my daughter to do then? We had an agreement, Orion!"

"And we still do. Should Sirius not work out, Iris may marry Regulus."

"Regulus?" asked Walburga. "But he has a commitment to the Dark Lord!"

"He can still maintain his commitment as well as give Iris an heir, can't he?" Orion asked the Death Eaters.

"Of course," responded one of the Death Eaters.

"We haven't seen Regulus in a very long time," Walburga said, concerned.

"Busy with his orders from the Dark Lord," said the other Death Eater.

"Very well, then. You two, bring me the Potters as well as Sirius."

"The Potters have the Fidelius Charm protecting them; the Dark Lord has been trying for quite some time."

"I do believe that James' parents are still living, are they not? They will do."

As the Death Eaters left, Walburga turned to her husband and whispered, "Sirius does not get another chance; I want him dead."

"As you wish, my Dear. Gregory, sorry for the delay. Please take Iris home and we will call on you once Sirius has been dealt with and Regulus is available to do his Ritual Knot with her."

"Fine," said Gregory angrily. "But she weds him the same day as the Ritual Knot ceremony; no more games!"

"Oh, I quite agree," nodded Walburga.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** So, I confirmed the death of Arthur Weasley. It wasn't easy to kill him; Arthur is one of my favorite Weasleys.. But someone had to go in that fight and everyone else there has a current storyline in my mind lol so it had to be Arthur. Plus, Grindelwald wouldn't have been able to get to the Burrow unless the secret-keeper was gone anyway.

On to reviews: To my regular "guest" reviewer: I can promise you that there is absolutely nothing romantic between Harry and Indira! I needed to introduce Indira into the story so I used Harry to do so, but they are not into each other, I promise, so don't stress! Also, Indira is closer to the Marauder's age, not Harry's. "Melindaleo", thanks for checking it out! You aren't the first not to like Draco; I've noticed that he's loved or hated there really is no in between! Personally, I believe that there is much more to him than we've seen. In the books, yes he is a bully, but what more do we really know? We know he is loyal to his family and we know that Voldemort told him if he didn't kill Dumbledore, then he would kill Draco and most likely his family. We also know that Draco struggled with that and even when Dumbledore was right in front of him, he struggled with actually casting the spell. See, I look at it differently. We all believe that we would never kill anyone, but what if you were put in that situation? Either kill someone who you don't really know, or you and your whole family dies. It's a very difficult situation to be in. I know I would struggle with it because as a mom, I would do anything to protect my son and so if it meant killing someone to save him, I can't say that I wouldn't consider it. Because Draco really isn't explored too much in the book, I use my story to really bring life to him. As my story is canon however, I think that will give insight as to what will happen (if you've read DH's epilogue.) Also, in regards to Ron and Katie, I don't consider that attempted murder. He didn't try to harm them; both the necklace and the bottle of wine or whatever it was were meant for Dumbledore. How was Draco to know that Ron would drink it or Katie would touch it? In regards to Ginny's hair, I agree that the Weasley red is pretty much their trade mark. I wanted Ginny to sort of rebel, however, which is why she did it. If you remember in the beginning of this story, she was sort of pushing herself away from her family. However, since I too think all Weasley's should have red hair, I made her dye it back to red after her and Harry made up. It was simply a rebellious stage! As for the electives, I feel that they should be mandatory for many reasons. For one, there's no such thing as too much education or too much knowledge. Regardless of what career you choose, all courses can you help you at some point in life. For instance, Care of Magical Creatures can help you if you ever find yourself in a situation where you've come across a dangerous animal. A male would know not to touch a unicorn, someone would know to not insult a hippogriff, etc. Also, in this particular story, Muggle Studies would be important to know as well since the Statute of Secrecy has been lifted. Just because you choose a career in one thing, doesn't mean you shouldn't be knowledgeable in another. School doesn't only prepare someone for their career, it prepares them for life too. "Cbird28" thank you so very much! I was having a rough day when I received your review and I can honestly say that you turned it around! I'm glad I can be of help to you! (I, too, have a baby, I get how hard night feedings are!)

Okay! Next chapter was a hard one for me to write, not sure if you will have the same "feels" as me, but it was definitely tough! I have a busy weekend ahead of me (Husband turned 30 today so we are having a huge party for him) so I thought I would post for you all today just in case I can't on the weekend!

Oh, one final thing, I know that Regulus is already dead in that "past" scene, but his family doesn't know that yet!

Thanks as always, and keep those reviews/questions/comments coming!


	48. Archie

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Forty-Eight: Archie**

 **Draco Malfoy – Present Day**

 **December 6, 2000**

Draco apparated outside of Hermione's shared cottage with Ron. He had plans to have dinner with her today, but she wasn't answering his galleon message. Concerned, he apparated to her cottage and was about to knock on the door, when he saw Ron apparate near him, carrying a very bloody Hermione.

"Hermione!" Draco yelled, helping Ron carry her inside the cottage. "What happened?" he asked Ron.

"It was _Sectumsempra_ ," replied Ron. "Should I get Madam Pomfrey?"

"No need," said Draco, lying Hermione down, taking his wand out, and getting to work.

"How do you know the counter-curse?" Ron asked him.

"I was attacked by this spell before and Snape used it on me." He hated for the wound to close up, then he lifted Hermione's head. "Are you alright?" he asked her.

"Fine," she said slowly, sitting up. "Thank goodness you were here!"

"Always," he replied. He noticed the look on Ron's face and had to stifle a laugh; wasn't he over Hermione? There's no way he could be jealous. "What happened?" he asked her.

"We were investigating something and I got attacked."

"Investigating what? Attacked by who?"

"Order stuff," said Ron smugly. "We can't tell you."

"If someone is attacking my fiancée, Weasel, then I don't care about any stupid Order!"

"She isn't your fiancée, Malfoy; not for real!"

"Don't tell me you're _jealous_ , Weasel!"

"Enough!" said Hermione. "It's fine, Draco."

"No, it isn't! Who attacked you?"

"Why should we tell you?" yelled Ron. "So you can go and tell your Death Eater friends?"

"Ronald!" Hermione warned. She then turned to Draco with a soft gaze. "Draco, you know I can't tell you these things…"

"Oh, so I can help with matters when it involves needing inside information, but that's the only time I'm good enough to know things, is it?"

"Insider information?" Hermione frowned.

"You know what I mean, Hermione! What kind of relationship is this? You're going to keep things from me?"

"It's not a _real_ relationship!" snapped Ron.

"Ronald!" Hermione said threatening. "Draco, you know the parameters on the Order; this isn't my decision!"

"Yeah, I get it, Hermione. Whatever; let me know when you need your wounds healed again."

"Draco, wait!" But he didn't; he walked out of the cottage and apparated to Malfoy Manor. He walked into the Manor and slammed the front door shut behind him in anger.

"Draco?" came his mother's voice.

"Sorry," he mumbled, heading up to his room.

"Draco, what's the matter?"

"It's Hermione!" he shouted. He knew better than to discuss his relationship with her in front of his mother, but at this point he was so angry that he just let it out. "I'm good enough when they have questions about Death Eaters and the Dark Lord, I'm good enough to heal wounds from dark magic, and to help them figure out who casted the Dark Mark back at the forest. But when _I_ ask a question, I'm not allowed to know anything! Oh, sorry Draco, but _the Order_ doesn't allow me… Well, screw your bloody Order!"

"Draco, it is time to put an end to this silly charade."

"How? Umbridge is on us for proof still; I can't just break up with someone they think I'm betrothed to."

"When will this be over?"

"I honestly have no idea, but until they drop their guard, I need to stay with her."

Narcissa paced back and forth. "When is this hearing again?"

"The twenty-second; I'm working on getting the Grangers here to testify. If they agree, you need to tell them what to say, mum. I know you don't like any of them, but you must!"

"I know Draco, your safety comes first. Once this hearing is over, however, I am putting an end to all of this."

"How?"

"Don't you worry about that; leave it to me."

Draco nodded. "I'm going up to my room for a bit." He had just walked into his room, however, when he saw a tiny owl fluttering at his window. "Pig," he said annoyed, letting the hyper bird in. He removed the letter with difficulty from Pig's leg as he was flying around excitedly, and sat at his desk and began to read the letter from Hermione:

 _Draco, I know you're mad and I'm sorry; I'm not intentionally trying to hurt you. You know that there are charms and hexes placed upon the Order that prevents any member from speaking to a non-member. Ron and I were on a mission to investigate someone who has not been on anyone's radar as of yet, and it turns out our suspicions were right since that person (let's call him Bob) attacked me. "Bob" is not a known Death Eater nor an offender of any sort. Since we know that the spell he used was created by Snape, that means he must have known Snape personally; Snape wouldn't have given that spell to just anyone. If he wasn't a Death Eater, then he must have been "good" at some point since we know that Snape was on our side. You knew him well, Draco, I could really use your help._

 _xx Hermione_

Draco frowned at the letter. He knew it really wasn't her fault, but that didn't make him any less angry. Grabbing a fresh piece of parchment from his desk, he replied:

 _I get it, but considering all the knowledge I do have, you would think that the Order would consider me an asset. I can't tell you much about Snape; there are still curses on the previous Death Eaters as well._

 _Draco_

He attached the letter to Pig and watched him fly off, knowing that what he wrote was a lie but also not caring.

 **Harry Potter – Present Day**

 **December 16, 2000**

Harry walked into the hospital room at St. Mungo's and towards the witch that was laying in the furthest bed.

"Harry!" she said weakly, but happily nonetheless.

"Mrs. Weasley," Harry said in reply, approaching her and giving her a small hug. "It is so good to see you awake finally; Healer Martus said that you only woke up last night."

"Harry, it's Molly, remember?"

"Right, sorry."

She smiled at him. "I did only wake up last night, but it was long enough ago to have been informed of everything that has happened."

"I'm sorry, Molly," Harry started, but Molly cut him off.

"You did nothing wrong, Dear; I should be the one saying sorry."

"But you didn't do anything, either."

"I treated you badly and all you have done is love my daughter. You have my sincerest apologies."

Harry nodded. "So, how are you holding up?"

Molly shrugged. "Physically I am very weak, but Healer Martus said that now that I am awake I will grow stronger every day."

"That's great!"

"Emotionally, Harry, I imagine I am just like you. We've both had a huge loss." Harry said nothing as he watched Molly fight back her tears. "I understand why I couldn't have attended Arthur's funeral of course, but it still hurts to know that I wasn't… I couldn't…"

Harry handed her a tissue. "It was a beautiful ceremony; he would have liked it."

"I reckon he would have. Andromeda was here when I woke yesterday. I don't know how she does it everyday, Harry, living without her beloved Ted. But I suppose we have to go on, right?"

"She had to be strong for Teddy. And you have to for your kids, Molly, and grandkids."

Molly smiled. "Victoire, and… Do we know what she had?"

"A boy," Harry replied. "Archie Harry Potter."

"Archie," Molly said slowly. "How fitting." Harry said nothing; he really did not know what to say. "Have you seen her yet?"

"No," Harry answered honestly. "It's too hard."

"I know, Dear," Molly said, reaching for his hand. "But she needs you now more than ever."

"Do you think she can hear me?" Harry asked her.

"I didn't; but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try anyway."

"Okay. I'm glad that you're awake, Molly."

"She will wake soon too, Harry; Ginevra is a fighter."

"She definitely is!"

"You know, there has been enough sadness to last us a lifetime. Once everyone is out of this hospital, I think I'll organize you two an engagement party."

"What? Molly I don't think that-"

"Please, Harry? I could really use a distraction."

"Okay." Harry didn't know what else to say to her. "I'm gonna go see her now, then."

"Yes, of course, Dear; please send her my love."

"I will." Taking a deep breath, Harry walked out of Molly's hospital room and headed towards Ginny's for the first time.

 **Ginny Weasley – Present Day**

 **December 16, 2000**

"H-Harry?" Ginny tried to sit up but she had such a pounding headache that she could barely lift her head.

"Ginny! You're awake!" Harry exclaimed excitedly. "Let me someone Healer Martus." Ginny watched him use his wand to tap on a red mark on the wall and knew that it would signal for the Healer.

"What happened?" she asked groggily.

"You – You don't remember?"

Ginny thought for awhile. She remembered a flash and watched her mother fall… "Merlin, Mum!"

"She's alright," Harry said quickly. "She's in another room here at the hospital but she's awake and she's going to be just fine."

Ginny breathed a sigh of relief. "Did we lose anyone else? How long have I been asleep? Did you find Dad? Has Grindelwald been caught?"

"Ginny, it's been a few weeks since you've woken and-"

"HARRY!" she yelled, suddenly. She had reached down to rub her stomach as she normally did to feel her baby, when she realized that she was no longer pregnant. "Harry, where's our baby?" she looked around the room for a bassinet of some sort but didn't see one. Panicked, she asked him again. "Where is our baby, Harry?"

"Ginny, the curse you were hit with caused you to go into early labor. The Healers had to deliver the baby while you were unconscious."

Ginny sighed a breath of relief. Clearly, since so much time had probably elapsed, her baby must have already been discharged and is currently at the Burrow with one of her relatives. "I can't wait to see her? Or him? Harry, what did we have?"

"A boy," Harry said quietly.

"Archie!" she squealed.

"Archie," Harry confirmed.

Ginny couldn't help grinning like an idiot. "Dad must be so excited! How is he?" But the look on Ginny's face told her exactly what she feared. "He… He didn't make it, did he?" she whispered.

Harry slowly shook his head no. "He was ambushed. The security meeting that he was supposed to have was a trap. Grindelwald wanted to get to the Burrow and they knew the only way would be to take down the secret-keeper…"

Ginny laid her head back and held her tears. "So, Grindelwald killed Dad." It wasn't a question, and so Harry never said anything. "It's my fault," she said suddenly.

"What? How?" Harry asked confused.

"Gloria," she responded. "Gloria didn't do what Grindelwald wanted and so he attacked my family, just like he said he would. Harry, where is Archie? He needs extra protection! I need to get out of here," she said, trying to stand.

"Ginny, stop!" Harry said, restraining her to the bed. "You just woke up, you can't go anywhere!"

"My son needs me, Harry!"

"No, he doesn't!"

"Yes he does! I know my family is probably with him, but he needs us, Harry, his parents! We need to go protect him… NOW!"

"Ginny…"

At that moment, however, Healer Martus had walked in. "Ms. Granger, sit down! What on earth are you doing?"

"Healer Martus, thank you for your care, really, but I must be going now, my son needs me!"

Ginny saw Healer Martus give Harry a weird look, and she heard Harry whisper to him, "I'll deal with it; can we have a moment?" Healer Martus left the room without a word and Ginny was getting angry.

"What the bloody hell is going on, Harry?" she demanded of him, sheer anger on her face.

"Ginny, if you can just sit down for a moment."

"No, I will not! What is wrong with you? Our son _needs_ us! What is so darn important that you won't let me go to him?"

"Ginny…" But Harry had stopped trying to restrain her. He took a seat next to her bed and put his face in his hands. Ginny was almost certain that Harry was crying.

"Harry," she said, but more softly this time. "What's going on?"

He lifted his face and turned to her, and sure enough, he was crying. "When you got hit, Gin, you took the blast right in the stomach. They delivered Archie but he wasn't ready…"

"No…" she started, sitting back down on the bed slowly. "No, Harry…"

"Archie didn't make it, Ginny," Harry said finally, in nothing more than a whisper. That was all that Ginny could handle. She collapsed back on the bed and allowed the tears to pour out of her eyes, as she placed her hand on her now ghostly baby bump. She and Harry sat side by side in silence, other than the crying, for what felt like hours. Finally, she found the courage to speak again.

"Where is he buried?" she asked him, fighting through her tears. At this point, Harry had stopped crying. He obviously had more time to grieve than her.

"Godric's Hollow; right next to my parents. I thought that they could look after him for us…"

"Was there a ceremony?"

"Only a small one. It was me, Remus, and Ron only. I thought it wrong to have a proper funeral without his mother."

Ginny nodded slowly. "He will get one," said said firmly.

"I agree."

"Did you… Did you…" she took a deep breath and tried again. "Did you get to hold him?"

"Not alive," Harry answered, starting to cry again. "You were taken into an emergency room right away where they delivered him. Healer Martus said that he was only alive for three minutes, but never conscious. He promised me that Archie didn't suffer. Once you were stable and out of there, he placed him in my arms. He was gone, but I still told him how much we loved him Gin, I promise; he knows how much we love him." Harry reached over and hugged her, and the pair cried together for a very long time. Grindelwald had killed her son… Grindelwald had killed her father… Her tears stopped falling as her anger kicked in.

"The Order isn't going to stop him, Harry, we are; and I am going to love being the one to kill him."

 **Orion Black – The Past**

 **November 3, 1981**

It was well into the night when Orion heard the knock at his door. He wasn't concern of course, since his house was well protected and only someone that he had allowed to visit the house in the past, had the ability to come and visit it now. He opened the door and was surprised to find his old friend Roland McNair.

"McNair," he said, opening the door wider. "Do come in."

"Thank you, Black," he replied, stepping inside and removing his cloak.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked.

"I wouldn't say pleasure," McNair replied. "Your wife is in bed?"

"Naturally, at this hour."

McNair nodded. "Might I have a drink?"

Orion led McNair to the kitchen and had Kreacher bring them both a cup of firewhiskey. "What is this about?" he finally asked his friend.

"You've heard, of course, of the Dark Lord's fall?" McNair asked him.

"Of course; what a shame."

"And his followers?"

"I would assume that they are still doing as he would have wanted; I know my Regulus is."

McNair wiped a bit of sweat off of his forehead. "You know my boy serves too, don't you?"

"Walden, isn't it?"

"Yeah. A little older than your Regulus, but they run in the same group. He, uh, he heard some stuff."

"About Sirius I presume?" asked Orion, annoyed.

Sirius?" replied McNair. "Isn't he in Azkaban?"

"He is."

"I didn't know he was working for the Dark Lord as well."

"He was not."

"But he led the Potters right to him!"

"Don't be fooled, McNair; my son clearly had another motive. I can assure you that it was not on the Dark Lord's orders, which is why I have asked for him to be killed in Azkaban."

"You'd be without an heir if you did that, Black."

"I have Regulus and I already have a family lined up for him."

"See, that's why I'm here. I told you, Walden has heard things…"

"What things?" Orion asked, intrigued.

McNair sighed. "Orion, the Dark Lord himself ordered Walden to kill Regulus."

Orion froze momentarily. "The Dark Lord is gone now, McNair. Ask your boy to step back; whatever it is that Regulus has done, I shall handle it."

"Orion, the order was set by the Dark Lord months ago…"

"Was it carried out?" asked Orion quietly, staring at his glass.

"Come on, Black, you know they can't say no to the Dark Lord."

"Very well," said Orion, after a brief moment of silence. "If you'll kindly see yourself out, I must go inform my wife."

"Y-You won't hurt my boy, will you?"

Orion studied McNair's face. "I have no reason to, Roland. Thank you for your information. Might you know where I can recover my son's body?"

McNair shook his head no. "Walden was told to destroy it," he responded sadly.

"Thank you for your time, Roland," he said, standing up and indicating that it was time for McNair to leave. The pair walked to the front door in silence and Orion held the door open. Once McNair was over the threshold, Orion called out to him. "McNair," he said, as McNair turned around to face him. "I understand that your son was following orders and so I will let him be, but my last heir is gone and something must be done about that."

"Orion, what do you mean?"

"Avada Kedavra!"

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** There you have it, the second death (and the answer as to why Ginny's pregnancy wasn't matching up to Rowling's timeline) As a mom, this was tough to write. My son was conceived through fertility since I cannot get pregnant naturally and children from fertility have a higher chance of being a still born or miscarriage so this was something that could have been a reality for me and even though this story is fiction, it was still tough to write.

We are going to be moving on to some things.. Grindelwald is still going to be in the front of course, but we will see some more Remus/Tonks, we will learn about Jessica and Neville (and Amelia), we are going to find out what's going on with the muggle who was Abracadabra'd.. And we are going to get into some present day Dursley's! Sit tight for the next few chapters!

Keep reviewing; you know I love them!

Thanks as always! xx


	49. In Memoriam

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Forty-Nine: In Memoriam**

 **Hermione Granger – Present Day**

 **December 22, 2000**

"Ron, I can't go, I don't want to be locked up in Azkaban for Christmas!"

"Would you prefer the New Year?" he asked, sarcastically.

"No," she responded, annoyed. "I'm not going to go."

"You _need_ to go, Hermione."

"My parents don't know I exist!" she yelled, storming around their shared cottage. "I'm basically walking right into Umbridge's hand."

"Draco said he worked out a plan. Now, I don't like the bloody git, but he's been right so far, hasn't he? It'll be fine."

"No, it won't! I'm not going!"

"Then where are you going to go? On the run? You know I'll follow you wherever you go, but I really don't fancy living out of that musty old tent again."

"You wouldn't be, it would only be me."

"Like hell, I'm not leaving you."

"Ron, you aren't about to leave Jessica and-"

"I'm NOT leaving you, Hermione. Go to the meeting. If Draco really doesn't have a plan, then we'll run."

"How? Umbridge will arrest me first!"

"She'll be alone; stun her and get out. I'll pack just in case, okay?"

"Ron…"

"Go, Hermione!"

She waited a few moments before saying anything, then finally picked up her purse and headed to the front door. "Don't forget my books on the top shelf," she said as she made to leave. "I wouldn't want to be anywhere without them." She closed the door behind her for what she assumed would be the last time, and made her way through apparition points towards Malfoy Manor. She arrived on time and let herself in, prepared to explain her plan of escape to Draco, when she came face to face with Dolores Umbridge standing next to Narcissa. "You're here," she said out loud.

"Why yes, Dear, we have a scheduled meeting."

Hermione looked down at her watch. "It's only six o'clock now," she replied.

"I prefer to be early. Now, where is Mr. Malfoy? I would hope that he is punctual?"

"He is on his way; shouldn't be a moment longer," replied Narcissa.

"Yes, well, it better not be," Umbridge replied with her ugly annoying grin. "Ms. Granger, have a seat."

"I prefer to stand," Hermione answered.

"I'm afraid I must insist."

"Fine." Scolding her, Hermione sat down on the opposite couch, and insured that her wand was perfectly accessible for her escape.

"Well?" Umbridge asked, both annoyed and pleased at the same time. "Where is everyone else?"

Before anyone could answer her, the front door opened and in walked Draco and… Hermione gasped. "Sorry we're late," Draco said, taking a seat next to Hermione. "Mr. and Mrs. Granger, you, of course, remember my mother," he said, pointing towards Narcissa.

"Of course," came the voice of (Hermione couldn't believe it), _her_ mother! "Hello again, Narcissa," she said, shaking her hand and then stepping aside for her husband to do the same.

"Mum?" Hermione asked, tears pouring down her face. "Dad?" she couldn't believe her eyes. She ran into her mother's arms and began sobbing.

"What is wrong with you?" Umbridge asked, disgusted with Hermione's behavior.

"We've been on vacation for quite some time," responded Hermione's dad. "She simply missed us."

Hermione tried to compose herself, but did not let go of her mother. "Yes, that's exactly it." Her mother continued to hug her back but something was off. Did Draco use a Polyjuice Potion? Were these not really her parents?

"So, Ms. Umbridge," said Narcissa. "The Grangers are here as per your request. Shall you conduct your questioning?"

"You, uh, you were there?" Umbridge asked, shock and anger coming along with her words.

"Where?" asked Hermione's mother.

"She must mean the Ritual Knot," filled in Draco.

"Well, of course we were there!" said Hermione's Dad. "Do you really think we would miss our own daughter's betrothal? It wouldn't even have taken place had we not been there!"

"Well, I believe that concludes that then, doesn't it?" asked Narcissa, looking at Umbridge.

"No, NO!" Umbridge yelled angrily. "This cannot be! Your memories were wiped! I investigated myself; I know everything!"

"You did what?" Hermione asked angrily. "You investigated my parents? That's illegal, Dolores!"

"Don't worry, Hermione," her father said to her. "She clearly didn't do a good job. Is there anything else you need, madam?"

Before she could reply, Draco spoke up instead. "That's all she's _legally_ allowed to do. On behalf of my mother, please leave our Manor. Now."

"I'll get you for this," she said through gritted teeth, staring at Hermione.

"Not if I get you first," Hermione replied back, smiling sweetly. Face beet red, Umbridge stormed out of the Manor. "Is she gone?" Hermione asked.

Draco went to look out the window. "Yup; she's off of the property."

"How?" Hermione finally asked, looking at her parents and tearing up again. "How is this possible? Is it really you?"

Her mother sighed. "It is really us, Dear, but not in the way that you think. We have the memories of Wendell and Monica."

"But then how-?"

"Draco came to Australia and filled us in," her father said. "He had photos as proof, but I must say that he was pretty convincing."

So, you… you… you don't remember me?"

Hermione watched her mother's eyes start to fill with water. "No sweetie; we have no memory of you. I really wish we did though; to know that I have a daughter that I know nothing about…"

"Nothing?" Hermione asked, in barely more than a whisper.

"You are an extraordinary witch," her father said smiling. "The spell you casted is flawless."

"So you came just on Draco's word?"

"I'll admit that it is quite a difficult situation," her mother told her. "But yes, of course we came! He showed us proof that we have a daughter; how could we not be here for her?" Hermione couldn't control her tears as she stood there staring at the parents who did not recognize her. "Come here, sweetheart," said her mother, grabbing her and consoling her. "Draco said you're working on a counter-curse; this won't be forever."

"Y-yes b-but what if it d-doesn't work? There's n-no guarantee…" Hermione said through sobbing breaths.

"Then you will just have to fill us in on everything that we can't remember. We can start with the story of your birth! I would love to know how you came to be! I'm sure we had told you at one point?" asked her father.

"Yes," answered Hermione. "You guys told me everything."

"Wonderful!" smiled her father. "Then you'll just have to fill us in until you find a counter-curse; and you _will_ find one, Hermione." Hermione nodded through her tears.

"So, how about we meet tomorrow for lunch? If you're free, I would love to spend the day with you."

"Yes, of course, Mum! Where are you staying now?"

"Draco found us a nice hotel not too far from here. Would you like to meet there?" she asked her.

Hermione smiled. "I can't wait." Draco and Hermione led her parents to the hotel and then apparated back to Hermione's shared cottage. "Draco," she started, as they stood in her living room. "How can I ever thank you?"

"You don't need to," he replied.

"Yes I do!"

Draco smirked. "Well, you could take me upstairs and…"

Hermione laughed. "You're not getting what you think you're getting, but you could spend the night if you'd like."

"Really?"

"Really," Hermione nodded. "I didn't think I could ever forgive you Draco, but you've reminded me of what kind of person you really are."

Draco turned away. "My family won't change, Hermione," he told her.

"I know," she answered truthfully. "But you have, and right now, that's all I want to focus on." She didn't know what she meant when she led him to her room, but for right now, she was happy just spending the night with the man who reunited her with her parents.

 **Harry Potter – Present Day**

 **December 25, 2000**

"Take it easy, Ginny. I really wish you would let me carry you."

"Harry, I'm fine! They wouldn't have released me if I wasn't ready to come home."

"That doesn't mean you're perfectly healed. If you were, they would have let you apparate back here, not take the muggle way."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "So, when Mum gets released tomorrow, can you take care of her and get off _my_ back?"

Harry laughed. "Nope; you're my problem forever."

Ginny kissed him lightly. "It's nice to be out of that hospital."

"I wish you had agreed to go back to our flat though, not the Burrow."

"Harry, Mum is coming back here tomorrow and it's going to be really hard for her to come back here without Dad; she needs all of us right now."

"I quite agree, little sister," said Percy, as he entered the kitchen. "That's why Audrey and I will be staying here for a little while. Hello, Harry," he added.

"Hello, Percy. Looks like it'll be a full house for a while. Molly will really like that."

Percy nodded. "Of course, Audrey and I have loads to do at the Ministry so we will be at work a lot, but we will be around here and there."

"Well, Mum will need all the help she can get, and since the new charms have been put up, it's really going to limit who is going to be able to come by."

"Well, I agree with Ron. It really should only be the Weasley family, _and spouses_ ," Harry added, seeing the look on Percy's face.

"So, Ron is only allowing the family in, then?" Percy asked.

"And Jessica and Amelia, and Andromeda; Mum requested her specifically," said Ginny.

"I think Teddy is going to be allowed as well, but that's it. If anyone else wants to see her, they can do so at headquarters."

"Tough Secret-Keeper," Percy replied.

"I agree with Ron, though; it's safest this way."

"Oh, you misunderstood, Harry; I quite agree with my brother. In fact, I think he's been too lenient with allowing Jessica and her daughter."

"Don't say anything about that to Ron, Percy, or he will lose his mind on you," Ginny warned.

"If Mum is agreeable to it, then I will be too. Anyway, little sister, are you ready to go?"

"Go where?" Harry asked, looking at Ginny with a confused look.

Ginny sighed. "Give us a sec, Perce." She waited for him to leave the room before speaking again. "Harry, look…"

"I don't care about whatever it is that you're going to try and convince me of right now," he told her in an authoritative tone. "You are not leaving the safety of this Fidelius charm, and you are not apparating anywhere as per Healer Martus!"

"You will not stop me, Harry Potter!"

"What could be so important that you would jeopardize your health like this?"

"MY SON!" Ginny yelled. Harry didn't reply. He had buried Archie at Godric's Hollow while Ginny was unconscious, and since she just got out of the hospital, she hadn't had a chance to visit him yet. "It's Christmas, Harry," she said to him, but more calmly this time. "I need to go see him."

"Okay," Harry said finally. "But we do this my way."

"Yes, we can do side-along apparition with you leading."

"It's a lot of apparition points to Godric's Hollow…"

"You aren't talking me out of this!"

"I know, Ginny. But I want you to take the Floo to Headquarters first."

"What? Why?"

"Because. If you can handle the Floo, then you can handle apparating."

"Harry, this is stupid!"

"But it will make me feel better."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Fine." She walked over to the mantel and grabbed some floo powder.

"I'll be right behind you," Harry told her. He followed her through the fireplace and was happy to see her standing upright and alright in the kitchen at number twelve Grimmauld Place.

"Do I pass?" she asked him teasingly, giving him a kiss.

"For today," he joked, kissing her back.

"Ginny! You've been released!" came the cheerful voice of Remus Lupin.

"I have," said Ginny, accepting a hug from him. "Happy Christmas!"

"Happy Christmas! And to you too, Harry," he said, embracing Harry as well.

"Where are Tonks and Teddy?" Ginny asked him.

"At home," he replied. "We exchanged gifts this morning, then she went to lay down with Teddy for a nap. I snuck out only temporarily to see if I can catch up with you, actually," he said, turning to Harry.

Harry was about to ask Ginny to give them some privacy, but decided not to. "What's up? I haven't filled Ginny in about anything yet, but I'm sure she can catch up." Harry saw Ginny smile at him.

"Indeed she will," she Remus, also smiling at him.

"Is it something else from the treasure chest?" Harry asked.

"It is. I can't believe I didn't think of this, nor you for that matter; it would have been taught to you in your History of Magic class." Remus produced a piece of parchment, and both Harry and Ginny leaned forward to read it, but Harry had no idea what it was.

"I know what this is," said Ginny after a moment. "It's what wizards used to use before the Unbreakable Vow was created." Harry looked at her surprised, and she laughed. "I had to study really hard to catch up to your level so that we could have classes together, remember?"

"Clever witch," said Remus.

"How does it work?" asked Harry.

"If I remember correctly, the Unbreakable Vow wasn't created until the year 1892, so before that, this was used to make binding agreements between witches and wizards," answered Ginny.

Remus nodded. "The Promised Parchment was what people would call it. Anything written on here and signed and witnessed by a rightful next of kin would be binding, and just like the Unbreakable Vow, death would follow if it were broken."

"So if this already existed, then why did someone create the Unbreakable Vow?" asked a confused Harry.

"For two main reasons," Remus informed him. "One was because this parchment requires a next of kin as a witness, whereas the Unbreakable Vow does not."

"I can see how that could be a problem," Harry said, realizing that he would not be able to complete one as, sadly, his next of kin was no longer alive. "And the second reason?"

"Unlike the Unbreakable Vow, this can be destroyed."

"What was the point then? If it could be broken then there was no value to it."

"It can be broken, but not easily. See, the Promised Parchment is signed in blood, which is a part of you, like your soul. So, in order to kill, so to speak, a part of yourself…"

"You would need something powerful, the same way you would need to destroy a Horcrux," completed Harry, catching on.

"Precisely," replied Remus. "So, it was pretty practical, just not perfect."

"So if I get Grindelwald to sign this…"

"You can see if he is loyal to his word, then you can destroy it."

"Brilliant!" said Harry.

"I am very confused," Ginny said.

Remus chuckled. "Harry can fill you in shortly." He walked over to him and placed his hand on his shoulder. "I do caution you though; tricking Grindelwald could have devastating results."

Harry handed the paper back to Remus. "It wouldn't matter; I would have done it regardless, but I can't."

"Why not?" asked Ginny.

"Because I don't have a next of kin."

"I'm your fiancée," said Ginny. "I'm your next of kin."

"Because you did not complete the Ritual Knot, you would not count as a next of kin until you were married," stated Remus.

"And I won't let you that close to Grindelwald ever again," Harry added.

"Not that I am not happy to see you both," said Remus, somewhat changing the subject. "But I thought we were going to do Christmas celebrations tomorrow once Molly was released?"

"We are," answered Ginny. "Today we are going to go visit Archie."

"Ah," said Remus, understanding. "Just the two of you?"

"My brothers are coming, too."

"Wouldn't your mother want to visit as well?" Remus asked.

"I'll take her eventually," said Ginny. "But she's dealing with the loss of Dad; I really don't know how much grief she can take at one time."

"You're welcomed to come too, Remus," offered Harry.

Remus smiled. "I would like that. I'll apparate home and get Dora and meet you there."

 **Remus Lupin – Present Day**

 **December 25, 2000**

Remus and Tonks apparated hand in hand to Godric's Hollow. They saw Harry and some of the Weasley's not too far ahead of them walking up to the graveyard just outside of the church. Taking a deep breath, Remus held on to his wife's hand and followed them at a distance.

"Are you alright, love?" Tonks asked him.

"It has been a long time since I've been back to Godric's Hollow," he told her.

"When _was_ the last time?"

"Once after Daisy's birth, when Sirius came back but was on the run."

"You've never come back on your own?"

Remus shook his head. "This place took too many lives of the people I loved. I don't need to go to their graves to visit with them; I remember them in other ways."

"Do you think Jessica will mind watching Teddy again? We give him to her quite a lot."

Remus smiled. He loved how his wife knew when to stop talking about something and instead focus on something else. "I think she enjoys it, actually. She has nowhere to go as she can't leave the Burrow, and now with Ron being Secret-Keeper and not allowing anyone to come, I would say she enjoys the extra company."

"Teddy has taken quite a liking to Amelia," added Tonks.

"Well, at least we know he will have a friend at Hogwarts."

"He'll have more than a _friend_ at Hogwarts."

"Not now, Dora," said Remus, but sweetly rubbing her hand. "Today is about Archie."

"Of course." Remus sighed again. "Are you sure you're okay?" Tonks asked him.

"I keep thinking about Daisy, especially lately. Harry needs to know, Dora."

"I agree."

"But it's up to Sirius to tell him."

"Remus, I miss my cousin too, but he's gone and he isn't coming back."

"Harry is confident that he's in that archway and I think it's safe to say that Harry's hunches are usually right."

"But after all of these years?"

Remus shrugged. "Look at us. We came out of the archway and we are both fine."

"But we didn't fall through it."

"So?" questioned Remus. "Regardless of how we got in there, we all were still in there, and we all got out fine."

"True, but Harry brought our vessels to the archway to restore us; where will he find Sirius' vessel?"

"That I do not know," Remus responded. "But I'm not giving up."

"Where is Archie buried exactly?" Tonks asked him.

"In between James and Lily; I went with Harry to do it and dug the hole myself. I told him that since I was the one who buried his parents, I knew where there was an empty space."

"That wasn't the only reason, was it?"

"No," answered Remus sadly. "I didn't want him to have to see his parents' coffins of course, but I couldn't allow him to see the other one, either." The pair arrived at the place where the Potters were buried. He watched as Ginny magically conjured up flowers and laid them first at Lily's grave, then at James', then finally Archie's. Quietly, Remus conjured up a fourth and placed it at the empty spot above Archie, and in between Lily and James. When a confused Harry looked at him, he said, "for all of them." Lying to Harry was something that Remus did not like to do, but sometimes it was necessary.

 **Remus Lupin – The Past**

 **November 1, 1981**

Remus was struggling to cope with everything that had just happened. He had not only lost James and Lily, but he had lost all of his friends. James and Lily were, of course, gone, Peter was sadly murdered, and Sirius was off to Azkaban. _Where he deserved to be_ , he added to himself. Even Alice and Frank Longbottom were also tragically gone, tortured to end up a fate worse than death. Since he didn't have his own parents, he thought to go and visit the only other two people he had: James' parents, Fleamont and Euphemia Potter. He apparated to their house, wondering if they had heard the news. Surely Dumbledore would have told them. Thinking about Dumbledore, he literally stopped dead in his tracks when he realized what had happened with Harry. He had thought nothing of it at the time when Hagrid took Harry to his muggle relatives on Dumbledore's orders, but thinking about it now, wouldn't it have made more sense to leave Harry with his magical grandparents? There was no way that they wouldn't have been considered unless… "Oh no," Remus said out loud, running to the house. He pushed open the door and ran into the house, calling out their names.

"I had expected you, Remus," came the voice of Albus Dumbledore.

"Albus? But-"

"I know where your thoughts are, Remus, and I am sorry to say that you are correct."

"No!" Remus made to look himself but he stopped; Dumbledore would not lie. "When?" he asked, barely audible. "How?"

"Walburga Black had a few Death Eaters come here to teach Sirius a lesson."

"A lesson?"

"He was promised to wed, did you know that?"

"No; it seems as though I didn't know anything about Sirius at all," he said through gritted teeth.

"Well, Sirius did not show up for his wedding and so Walburga orchestrated an attack on the Potters."

"So, Sirius is the reason _all_ the Potters are dead?" Remus asked angrily.

"It would seem so."

Remus shook his head. "It makes no sense. Clearly Sirius didn't care about the Potters since he had James and Lily ki… _You know_ … So, how does going after Fleamont and Euphemia punish Sirius?"

"As to that, I cannot say as I do not know."

"When did this happen?" he asked quietly.

Dumbledore was quiet before replying. "Upon receiving the news of James and Lily, I came here to inform them, when I walked into about three Death Eaters. I was able to take them down, but sadly, I was too late to save the Potters."

"So, they don't even know about their son." Remus said it more to himself then to Dumbledore.

"In this life, no, they do not, but perhaps they know now," he said, looking up.

"So, _all_ of the Potters died on Halloween of 1981."

"Not _all_ of the Potters, Remus; and we must focus our strength on that."

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Sorry for the delay! I went back to work this week after being off since June of 2016 so it's been quite the transition, especially since I still have an 11 month old at home who doesn't sleep through the night! I've said it before and I'll say it again though, I will never leave you all hanging! In fact, I am working on a schedule that will let me post twice a week, then three, until eventually I will be posting a chapter each day (except weekends) so that will be five chapters a week! In the meantime however, until I can organize everything, I will stick to once a week.

Not much to say this time around, but we will learn more about James' family as we go.

Thanks as always!


	50. Preparations

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Fifty: Preparations**

 **Ginny Weasley – Present Day**

 **December 29, 2000**

Ginny knocked on the door to Jessica's room and was let in right away. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything," Ginny said to Jessica, as she entered the room and shut the door behind her.

"Not at all," Jessica replied. "I was just finishing up one of the books Molly left in here for me."

Ginny glanced at the cover. "A Muggle's Guide to the Wizarding World?" she read.

"Yeah," Jessica laughed. "It's the only kind of books that are in here. The one I just finished before this was called _The Magical Shock: What to do When You Find Out That Your Child is a Wizard_. I guess she's really trying to get me to accept that Amelia is a witch."

"Have you accepted it, then?" Ginny asked, sitting next to her.

Jessica sighed. "Yeah, I guess so."

"You're doing the right thing, Jess; There's no denying that she is a witch. She may be muggleborn, but they say even muggleborns don't show signs this early, which really makes me believe that she is a half-blood."

"I _know_ that she's a half-blood," Jessica responded.

"Did one of these books explain how to differentiate the two?" Ginny asked, genuinely curious.

Jessica shook her head. "Nigel is a pureblood wizard."

"I thought you didn't know?"

"I didn't, but I do now."

"So, are you going to explain or are you going to make me guess?"

Jessica sighed again. "Ginny, you can't tell anyone, okay? Not even Harry. I'm not ready for anyone to know just yet, and I need to tell Ron before anything else."

"Tell him what?"

"I, uh, ran into Nigel."

"What?" said Ginny, probably louder than she should have. "When? Where?"

"St. Mungo's."

"But that was so long ago!" Ginny exclaimed. "How come you never said anything?"

"It wasn't a big deal at the time; he literally ran away when we saw me."

"So, how do you know that he's a-"

"A pureblood? Because I saw him again." Ginny sat patiently and waited for Jessica to continue. "The day of the battle when Ron was getting Amelia and I out of here, I ran into him," she said slowly. "He's, uh, one of the Order members."

"What? But you know all of the Order members!"

"Actually, I don't. You all talk about them and stuff so I know their names, but I haven't actually seen most of them. I can't leave the Burrow, remember? Most of the Order members go to Headquarters."

Ginny thought for a while. "But there is nobody by the name of Nigel in the Order."

"Jessica smiled weakly. "That's because he lied about his name to me."

"What? So then, what _is_ his name?"

"Neville."

" _Neville_? Surely you don't mean Neville _Longbottom_?"

"That's the one."

"Jessica!" said Ginny, grabbing her hand. "I had no idea! He's never even hinted at having a child before!"

"He didn't know," Jessica responded. "He left way before I discovered that I was pregnant."

"So, have you spoken to him?"

Jessica nodded. "Once he saw me, he made the connection that I was the Jessica that Ron was dating, so he confided in Luna and had a meeting set up between us while I was staying at Xenophilius' house."

"And?" said Ginny, pressing for details.

"Nothing, to be honest. I was angry; I _am_ angry. Regardless or not if he knew I was pregnant, he never should have left!"

"He was protecting you." Ginny laughed when Jessica rolled her eyes. "I know it sounds stupid but it's how Harry's brain works, too! They think by leaving us behind that they are actually protecting us."

"Such stupid logic."

Ginny laughed. "I couldn't agree more! So, now what?"

Jessica shrugged. "I told him he's not allowed to tell a soul and I'm pretty sure that Luna's kept it quiet, too."

"Luna is very loyal," Ginny nodded. "And if Neville said that he wouldn't tell, then I'm almost certain that he won't. But you know, Jess, you can't keep this quiet forever. Neville is going to have questions about his daughter."

"She's not his daughter!" Jessica snapped. "He may have fathered her, but that's it!"

"Okay," replied Ginny, treading lightly. "But what about Hogwarts and stuff? You don't think it will come out?"

"I don't even know if I'm letting Amelia go to Hogwarts! I've got plenty to worry about right now, I don't even want to think about that!"

"Jessica," said Ginny, grabbing her hand. "You know that she needs to be educated. Especially now – she's a descendant of a Sacred Twenty-Eight!"

"Can I just have a few more months of peace before I start considering school for her?"

"Okay," she Ginny, understanding how much stress her friend was under.

"Ugh!" said Jessica, putting her head in her hands. "I need to talk to him, don't I?"

"Yes," answered Ginny, nodding her head.

"When? How?"

"Well, you need to tell Ron first, and then you can talk to Neville properly. We are having my engagement party over at the Lovegood's; Ron refuses to give anyone access to the Burrow, but since both you and Neville will be there, perhaps after the festivities you could talk?"

"Okay, I guess that would work. Now I just have to tell Ron…"

"Can I ask a favor?" Ginny asked, hesitating.

"Sure."

"Well, Ron can be… a bit… ridiculous at times. I don't want him throwing a fit at the party. See, with what happened to Dad and Archie, Mum is really focused on this and she needs some happiness right now, I don't want anything to ruin it…"

"I get it," replied Jessica. "And you and Harry deserve some happiness, too. How about I tell him after, then?"

"And write a note to Neville explaining that you will be telling Ron after the party, so he should disapparate a few minutes before… Just in case."

"This is going to be bad, isn't it?"

"Well, I can't say it will be good," replied Ginny truthfully. "But we will arrange it so that Amelia is with Teddy over at the Lupin house, and you and Ron can talk here. I'll stay downstairs with Harry and just in case Ron tries to storm out and find Neville, I'll have Harry stop him. Don't worry," she added, seeing the look on Jessica's face. "I won't tell Harry why, but he will do as I say, trust me."

"Okay," said Jessica quietly. "And what about Neville?"

"Include in the letter that someone will contact him when you're free to talk and he can come by then. Here, right the letter now, and we will have Pig take it to him."

"Okay," said Jessica again, grabbing a quill.

"It will be alright, I promise," said Ginny.

"I hope you're right," Jessica replied, starting her letter to Neville.

 **Neville Longbottom – Present Day**

 **January 1, 2001**

"Happy new year, Mum and Dad," Neville said quietly as he sat in his parents wing just after midnight. With everything that had happened with the Weasley's, the usual New Year festivities had been called off, and so Neville had decided to bring the new year in with his parents in their quiet wing at St. Mungo's. "This is the first time that we are together for a new year countdown," he said to his mum, knowing very well that she did not understand him. She continued to pace around the room while his dad slept, snoring quietly. Sighing and feeling lonelier than ever before, Neville pulled out the letter he had received from Jessica and read it over for what was probably the hundredth time:

 _Neville,_

 _I am going to be telling Ron about everything after Harry and Ginny's engagement party. Please wait for me at Luna's; once I work it all out with Ron, I will come speak to you. Remember that Ron is my boyfriend and even though I didn't know that you were Nigel, he's going to be upset. Please don't say anything to anyone until we talk._

 _Jessica_

Neville folded the letter back up and put it in his pocket. There wasn't a day that went by that he didn't think of Jessica. Leaving her in the forest had been the hardest thing he had ever done, but he had done it out of love. "You would have done the same thing, wouldn't you've, Dad?" he asked the man lying on the bed next to him. He knew of course that he wouldn't get an answer, regardless if his dad had been awake or not. He felt his mum drop a bubblegum wrapper in his hand and he smiled. "Did you know that you're a grandma, now?" he told her. "I have a daughter; her name is Amelia." He thought about the little girl that was his daughter and all the time that he had already lost with her. "Growing up without you has been hard," he said to his parents. "I won't allow that to happen to Amelia, regardless if Jessica is with me or with Ron." He thought about that for a moment. Jessica's letter proved that she cared about Ron and that _he_ was her boyfriend; there was clearly no room for Neville in her life. "Did she ever love me?" he wondered out loud, thinking back to their time together in the tent. It made sense for her to hate him, but he had always imagined that one day they would find each other again and she would rush into his arms and all would be okay… He shook the thought out of his head. Jessica hated him and Jessica loved Ron, and he, Neville, had a daughter that didn't even know him… He placed his head in his hands and for the first time ever, Neville cried in front of his parents. It was something that he had never done, but he didn't know why. He supposed it was because he was used to such sad things happening to him that there was no need to cry, but this time it was different. As he sat there, being vulnerable, something that he never thought possible happened: his mother, for the first time, placed her hand on his shoulder.

 **Molly Weasley – Present Day**

 **January 1, 2001**

Molly knocked on the door lightly, and waited patiently for it to be answered. It wasn't very long before a very large, round, man opened the door. "Good afternoon!" Molly said to the man. "Thank goodness I found you! I knew of course that you had moved away during the final battle, but Harry had mentioned once that he assumed you would return to Privet Drive one day and, well, here you are!" Molly watched the man's face grow purple.

"What the bloody hell are you doing here?" he said quietly so that nobody could here, but with enough intensity to show Molly that he was not happy."

"Well, I need to speak to you about your nephew, Harry! You see, he's getting married to my daughter and in our world-"

"Vernon!" Molly heard a woman squeal behind him. "Not on the front steps where the neighbours can hear!"

"Oh, the Statute of Secrecy has been lifted ages ago, dear," Molly said giggling.

"Get inside," Vernon said angrily, reluctantly stepping aside so that she may enter.

"Why, thank you!" Molly made her way in and found her way to the living room and sat down. "I suppose you don't have a cup of tea?" she asked Petunia, wondering why neither of them were sitting down.

"No, my wife does not have a bloody cup of tea for you!" snapped Vernon.

"Never mind, then," replied Molly. "On to business I suppose. Now, as I was saying, Harry is engaged to my daughter and I've come to discuss the details with you. I know you can't apparate but we can arrange transportation for you; how many of you will be attending?"

"Attending what?" asked Dudley, walking into the room.

"You must be Dudley!" exclaimed Molly happily. "My name is Molly Weasley, soon to be the mother in law of Harry."

"Harry?" Dudley asked, shocked. "Harry is getting married?"

"Yes he is, Dear, to my daughter Ginny."

"We do not have time for his celebrations, we have Dudley's to plan," Petunia said.

"Are you engaged too, Dear? How marvelous! I'm sure we can work around each other's event; when is your engagement party?"

"I've already had it," Dudley responded. "All that's left is my actual wedding in April."

"Be quiet, Dudley," Vernon said out of the corner of his mouth.

"What is the problem?" Molly asked, finally annoyed. "I know Harry has expressed that his treatment here wasn't up to par, but surely you want to be at your nephew's engagement party?"

"No, we do not!" said Vernon. "Get out of my house! And use the front door, not the bloody fireplace like last time!"

"The fireplace? Oh you mean when Arthur came to get Harry. He was terribly sorry for that, you know. Oh, Arthur…" Molly grabbed a handkerchief out of her robes and blew her nose. "So, you truly aren't coming, then?"

"Truly," responded Vernon.

"What a shame. I can see this was a waste of my time, then." Molly stood to leave but then turned to Petunia instead. "You know, despite your feelings towards _our_ world, I happen to know that you really did love your sister. See, plenty of people I know knew Lily, and knew how much she loved you. It's a pity to see the way you treat her son." Molly walked up to the door and let herself out, but before she closed the door, she added, "Dudley, please know that you and your fiancée are more than welcomed to come, I am sure that Harry would like that." Without another word, Molly stepped onto the street and apparated out of sight.

 **Lily Potter – The Past**

 **October 11, 1981**

"Tuney, come on, our boys haven't even met yet and I'm already pregnant with another!" Lily whined into the phone. Since she had come from a muggle family, she always kept a phone nearby so that she could talk to her parents and sister. Although her and her sister had a falling out when they were younger, Lily made sure that they still kept in contact.

"The answer is no, Lily," came Petunia's reply through the phone. "I've forgiven you for everything you've done when we were children, but for you not to come to Daddy's funeral? I cannot forgive that."

"I've told you over and over, James and I _can't_ leave right now, it's too dangerous! Mum understood, why can't you?"

"You're her daughter, of course she would accept your excuses! I, however, see right through them! The minute you got your letter, you forgot about all of us! Then you met that Potter boy and now you can't even say goodbye to your father!"

"That's not fair, Petunia," Lily said sadly.

"What's not fair is the shame you brought onto our family!" Petunia yelled, before slamming the phone down. Sighing, Lily hung up as well and walked over to the living room where James and Harry were playing.

"Is everything alright?" James asked, looking at his wife's sad face.

Lily shook her head no. "Petunia still won't talk to me," she said sadly. "We had finally worked everything out but then Dad died and I-"

"Didn't go to the funeral," James finished for her. "Your Dad would have understood, Lily; you are protecting Harry!"

"I know, but why can't Petunia understand? I miss her and my Mum, I don't want to be here anymore."

"I know, Lils," said James, standing up and approaching her. "Once this baby is born, we will find a way to see your Mum, okay? I promise."

"And Petunia?"

"She's forgiven you once already for being a witch, not that you needed forgiveness, but the point is that she will again, trust me."

"Okay," said Lily. "I just can't bare her hating me or Harry or this baby."

"Why would she hate Harry or the baby?"

"Because they are yours," Lily answered honestly.

"But they are also yours," added James. "And despite everything, Petunia loves you. It'll all work out, you'll see."

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** We have reached a new year! A shorter chapter this time, but still containing important details! Looks like Ron is about to be faced with something heavy!

On to reviews:

Souleiado - I noticed that you're writing them as you read through, so some have already been answered for you! For your chapter 30 review, yes they had already tried it backwards, but they didn't know that they had to bring the vessel somewhere (that was the step they were missing). For your chapter 31 review (if it was you, it says guest), we will learn about the Black line, but at the time of the hearing, all Black descendants were either dead or unfit for representing. For chapter 33, correct, it is the veil! Keither Serenity, thanks for reading! You will all learn much more about Daisy (but not for awhile since Harry doesn't even know about her) the answer to if Sirius can be revived or not since they can't locate his vessel will be answered shortly. We are going to learn quite a bit about his betrothed and what happened after Sirius fell through the veil, so keep an eye on that character! I will confirm here that yes, Arthur is gone, I'm sorry =( No, Harry cannot do the Ritual Knot because they had a baby together.. Once you father a child you cannot do the Ritual, regardless if the child survived or not. Narcissa is going to be in Draco's and Hermione's business A LOT I'm sorry to say! There will be happy times, I promise! I like people to be surprised so if I write what you think will happen then you won't be surprised! So often times I have to kill a happy ending, but that doesn't mean there won't be other happy ones!

I had someone ask about my writing style so just to be clear, I am not writing in paragraph novel style. I write four POV's per chapter, so each POV is its own paragraph if you will. It is a real form of writing (I googled different options to see which one I wanted to use before starting) and you only start a new line when a new character speaks.. That's why there are no paragraphs or indenting!

Hope you all are enjoying! Next few chapters will focus on this engagement as well as Ron/Jessica/Neville, before we bring back Grindelwald again. Please keep reviewing! Love you all!


	51. Engagement Traditions

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Fifty-One: Engagement Traditions**

 **Hermione Granger – Present Day**

 **January 6, 2001**

"Good, you're still here," said Hermione, as she pushed her way past Harry and into his flat. "Where is Ginny?"

"She's at the Burrow getting ready; I was just about to apparate there."

"Harry, today is your engagement party," Hermione stated.

"Yeah, and?"

"Your _wizard_ engagement party."

"Okay, _and?_ "

Hermione sighed. "Have you any idea how wizard engagement parties actually work?"

"It's – it's not just a party?" Harry asked, a little uneasy.

"For the most part it is, but there are a few things that are done at traditional engagement parties, and something tells me that Molly will expect it."

"Hermione, I don't know anything about them!" Harry said panicky.

"I know, that's why I've spent the last two days reading up on it," Hermione told him. "I was going to lend you the book, but then I figured that you wouldn't actually read it, and then it would upset Molly if you didn't do what was expected and so-"

"So, you're going to tell me?" he asked hopefully.

Hermione smiled. "Yes," she replied.

"You're a lifesaver, Hermione, really!"

"Yes, well, you can thank me later! So, first is wardrobe. It's very simple for a male, you just need to wear black wizard robes."

"Why black?"

"Because the woman picks the wedding color!"

"What?"

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Whatever color Ginny wears today will be the color that will be worn the day of the wedding. Now, can you just listen? There isn't much time!"

"Right, sorry."

"So, you're going to have to announce your Best Man in front of everyone as well."

"That's easy, it's Ron."

"Shh! Telling anyone beforehand is bad luck! Then Ginny will select her Maid of Honor, followed by three bridesmaids. After, you will select three ushers. It's important that you don't tell anyone until the time of the choosing, Harry."

"Why?"

"It's an ancient magic, apparently. I'm not sure if I actually believe it, but there wasn't enough time to research. Anyway, you have to select the ushers in a specific way. The first person you select has to be someone who is not related to either of you, but has been there for you in one way or another. This shows that an outside factor will protect your marriage. The second usher must be someone from her bloodline. This shows that you respect her family and accept them as yours. The final usher must be someone from your bloodline." At this, Hermione said her words slowly. "This shows that your bond to your family will forever remain strong."

"Well, that isn't possible, Hermione; I have no bloodline left."

"If that were true, then things like Godfathers and Godsons would be accepted…"

"Perfect, I'll pick Teddy, then. He isn't too young, is he?"

"His age isn't ideal, but it would be allowed. But Harry, you can't pick Teddy…"

"Why not?"

"Because Godsons only work if your bloodline is extinguished."

"My bloodline _is_ extinguished, Hermione."

But Hermione shook her head. "Your aunt and her family are still alive."

Harry laughed out loud. "You've got to be joking!" he said. "You know that they wouldn't be caught dead anywhere near magic! Besides, nobody knows about them, really; I'll just pick Teddy."

"You can't, Harry; there's an ancient magic binding all of this, remember?"

"I thought you didn't believe in it?"

"I don't, but Molly does, and she knows that your cousin and uncle are alive and well!"

"Well, then this can't happen the way she wants it to."

"Harry, she's already upset about the Ritual Knot, and now you're going to take this from her, too?"

"WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO DO, HERMIONE?" Harry yelled. "NONE OF THIS IS MY FAULT!"

"I know, Harry," she said, trying to calm him down. She glanced at the clock behind him. "You're going to be late, Harry. Just get dressed and make your way to the Lovegood's, I'm sure we can figure something out."

 **Harry Potter – Present Day**

 **January 6, 2001**

Harry apparated just outside of the Lovegood's rook-shaped house and entered the Fidelius charm's protective barriers. He was astounded to see almost seventy-five people there, all mingling with one another around large bushes with little leprechauns flying around, and several chutes of wine magically floating around and refilling themselves. Towards the right, he saw a small stage with a large cake centered in the middle, and to the left he saw a table full of small boxes, where a beautiful redhead stood waiting beside it in a long flowy lilac gown. "Hey," he said smiling, as he approached his bride-to-be.

"I see you got the wardrobe memo," she said, approving his black wizard's robes.

"Hermione," he told her truthfully, taking a look at her. "So, our wedding is going to be purple?" he asked her.

"Lilac, actually," she corrected him. "It was between this and coral, but I figured the coral would clash with my hair."

"Good choice," Harry said, although he had no idea what color coral was, and wondered if it were a shade of red.

"I'm assuming Hermione filled you in on everything else, then?" she asked him.

"Yeah, and I have no idea who I'll pick as the third usher."

"Same for me and the bridesmaid." When she saw Harry's confused look, she explained. "My first bridesmaid is also a friend, so that'll be easy. My second is someone from my bloodline and sister-in-law's count, so that'll be easy, too. But my third bridesmaid has to be someone from your bloodline."

"Oh," said Harry, not realizing that she would have to select someone from his side as well. "Well, Molly will have to understand," Harry said finally.

"I know," said Ginny, frowning. "It's just that after the Ritual Knot being a bust and then her losing dad and Archie, I feel bad letting her down about this, too."

"You, uh, won't have to," came a voice from behind them.

Harry spun around, and could not believe what he was seeing. "Dudley?" he said exasperated.

"Hi," Dudley said quietly.

"What are you doing here? How?" Harry was almost at a loss for words.

There was a young lady standing beside Dudley, leaning on his arm, and she smiled at Harry's expression. "My name is Polly Hudson," she said to him. "Do you remember Piers?" Harry remembered all too well who Piers was; it was hard to forget someone who tormented you for years. He nodded towards Polly. "Well, he is my cousin and he introduced me to Dudley; now we are engaged!" she said happily.

"Oh, uh, congratulations," Harry said, almost feeling sorry for the girl. "But that doesn't explain how you're here."

She smiled again. "Dudley told me about the witch's visit to his parent's house," she said.

"What witch's visit?" Harry asked.

"Your Mum," Dudley answered, nodding towards Ginny.

"Mum went to your house?" Ginny questioned.

"Yeah, my mum and dad were pretty angry about it," Dudley replied.

"I bet, "Harry said, almost wishing that he could have seen their face.

"Anyway," said Polly, getting them back on track. "My third cousin Anastasia is a muggle-born; she's the only one in our family, though. But she's told me about quite a bit of the traditions and she explained to me how the engagement parties work. So, once I heard Dudley explain the point of the witch's visit, I knew at once that we had to come."

"So, uh, you would actually partake in my wedding?" Harry asked in disbelief.

Dudley nodded. "I haven't forgotten about those cloaked things," he said quietly to Harry. Harry thought back to the summer before his fifth year when he and Dudley were attacked by Dementors and Harry finally understood; this was Dudley's way of thanking him. "But, uh, don't tell mum and dad, okay?"

"Wouldn't dream of it," Harry answered.

"Also, they don't know Polly has a cousin who's a witch."

"Don't worry about it," he said, extending his hand. "Thanks, Big D."

"What about my bridesmaid, though?" Ginny asked.

"As long as you don't get married before April, then Dudley and I will be husband and wife, so you can use me," she told Ginny.

"Perfect!" said Ginny excited. "Harry, this will make mum so happy! Can we?"

"Of course," said Harry, still comprehending the fact that his cousin was here at his engagement party.

Ginny grabbed his hand. "Well, we need to start making our announcement," she said to them. "See you soon, and thanks again!"

"Yeah, thanks," said Harry, as he walked with Ginny towards the stage.

"What's wrong, Harry?" Ginny asked him when they were alone.

"I just don't know about this," he told her truthfully. "Dudley hates me."

"Well, he's here, isn't he? He's probably doing it for his fiancé, but who cares! Let's just get through this engagement announcement, then we can worry about his intentions."

"Okay," said Harry, walking onto the stage with Ginny and watching as all the guests quieted down and gathered in front of them.

 **Ginny Weasley – Present Day**

 **January 6, 2001**

"Thank you everyone for coming," Ginny said excitedly, as she faced all of her and Harry's loved ones. "Harry and I are very excited to be here today, _engaged_. You all know how much we mean to one another and that this was an engagement waiting to happen!" Ginny allowed her family and friends to laugh before she continued. "Although he isn't here, I know that Harry and I have my father's blessing. We can't control everything in our lives, such as the loss of my father and our son, Archie, but we can control our marriage and our happiness together, and no matter what, we will always triumph." There were several cries of "here, here!" from the crowd, as well as a few sniffles. Ginny knew that she had gotten her point across, and so she moved on. "With that said, I know that I am delighted to select my ladies, as I am sure Harry is for his men, so shall we begin?" she asked, looking at Harry.

"Oh, uh, right," said Harry, looking at her for guidance. "I am now going to select my Best Man?" he said it more as a question to her, and she gave a small nod. "Well, that's an easy one. You've been my best mate since my first day at Hogwarts; it only makes sense that you'll stand beside me now, Ron Weasley." Ginny watched her brother walk onto the platform and stand beside her fiancé.

"My turn!" she said excitedly. "My decision is also any easy one; I select Hermione Granger as my Maid of Honor." Ginny watched as a teary-eyed Hermione joined her hurriedly on the platform, with her big bush of curls bouncing happily. "And for the rest of my ladies!" Ginny said to the crowd. "As per tradition, my first bridesmaid is someone who is not family, but is just as good as. I have fought alongside her many times and she is someone who I trust with my life. I select Luna Lovegood." Luna made her way through the crowd and stood at the base of the platform, angling so that she was facing both the crowd and Ginny. Ginny was thankful that Luna was a pureblood witch and knew the traditions well; she knew it would please her mother. "For my second bridesmaid, I've always wanted a sister, and thanks to my oldest brother, I've finally gotten one. I choose Fleur Weasley." Fleur handed Victoire to Bill and walked gracefully over, standing next to Luna. "Finally, I am pleased to honor Harry's side, and invite his cousin-in-law to stand beside me. I choose Polly Hudson." Ginny watched as Polly joined Luna and Fleur, while giving small encouraging nods to Dudley.

"I guess I have three spots to fill now," Harry said. "To start with someone who I trust, and who isn't family, the decision was easy. This person has been there in ways I never have expected, and I am proud to call him my friend. I choose Neville Longbottom." Ginny clapped just as hard as everyone else; it was a great choice, but she did worry about how Ron and Neville would get along once Ron found out Jessica's secret. "To honor Ginny's family, I easily pick Bill Weasley." Ginny was surprised with Harry's choice; she had assumed that he would have picked George. She supposed it was because she had picked Fleur and realized that Harry made a good decision. "And finally, my family," Harry said. "I, uh, would like to pick my cousin, Dudley Dursley." Ginny watched curiously as Dudley joined the rest of Harry's groomsmen. It seemed as though Polly had taught him everything correctly, but that didn't make Ginny any less suspicious.

"Thank you everyone for coming," Ginny said, heading towards the last part of the evening. "Once again, we are so excited to share this moment with you all, and we will be ending our evening with the traditional opening of the box to determine our wedding date. But first, Harry and I would like to now honor each other's family with a heartfelt gift, as is tradition." Ginny caught Harry's eye and panicked; the look on his face showed Ginny that Harry knew nothing about this part. How could Hermione have forgotten to tell him? Ginny proceeded with her gift slowly, hoping that it would help give Harry time to think of something. "We all of course know the tragic story of Harry's parents' death, and I am sorry to say that I will never know them. Since they aren't living, I thought that my gift of honor to them would instead be to their son." She walked over to the side of the stage and picked up an envelope made of velvet and handed it to Harry. "Here are the birth and death certificates of both your Mum and Dad," she said to him. "I honor them by presenting these documents to their only son, so that he can have their complete story, from beginning to end."

"Full circle," Harry whispered to her. "Thank you." Ginny smiled. She knew that Harry understood the sentiments behind it, and that was what mattered to her.

"Your turn," she whispered to him nervously. Ginny watched him scratch his head nervously. After a few moments however, she recognized a look on his face: he had a plan. She watched him walk over to Remus and they whispered quietly together, before Remus nodded his head and turned and disapparated. After a few moments, Remus returned and handed Harry some parchment and an odd-looking quill, and Harry bent over and scribbled something down. Finally, he stood up and spoke.

""down. Finally, he stood up and spoke. , and Harry bent over and scribbled something down. Finally, hMolly, uh, I can't give you a completed gift today, but I can give you part of it, and then the rest of it when I marry Ginny." He walked over to her and handed her the parchment that he was writing on. "I know that I can't complete the Ritual Knot with Ginny, but I can do this instead. This is a Promised Parchment, and my promise to you that I will protect Ginny, be faithful to Ginny, and love her for the rest of my life. It's not signed as I do not have a next of kin who is in my life, but once I marry Ginny, she will be my next of kin, and she can witness for me."

Ginny watched the tears build up in her mother's eyes. "Harry, it's perfect, thank you!" she exclaimed, as she hugged her soon to be son-in-law. Ginny smiled; perhaps it would take a long time, but she knew that there was a bright future for her one day.

 **Harry Potter – The Past**

 **March 27, 1999**

Harry continued to twirl Ginny's hair through his fingers. They were in the Gryffindor common room together, with Ginny laying across his lap on one of the couches. "Harry, it's three in the morning!" she exclaimed, glancing at the clock. "We have Charms in the morning, we really need to get to bed."

"No," said Harry plainly.

"No?" she questioned, sitting up and looking at him. "What's the matter?" she said, after looking at his expression.

"Did you know that my dad was born in March?" he said, fixating on a spot on the wall and just staring.

"No, I didn't," Ginny replied honestly.

"Yeah, Sirius had told me one time, but never the day; I should have asked him."

"Maybe it was today," Ginny said.

"Maybe, or yesterday. I don't even know what month my mum was born in. Maybe it was March, too, or maybe she and I shared a birthday in July."

"Or perhaps a birthday with me in August."

"Yeah, maybe," Harry said out loud, not really to Ginny, but more to himself. "I guess I'll never know."

"I'm sure _someone_ knows," Ginny said, trying to be helpful.

"Even if they do, what else could they tell me?" Harry said, starting to get angry. "What do I know about them, really? That my father and I look alike and that my mother and I have the same color eyes?"

"I'm sure we could find out whatever we'd like," she said patiently. "What is it that you would like to know?"

Harry thought for a moment. "Their birthdates would be nice," he said. "And their middle names."

"Okay," said Ginny. "We will find that out."

"It would be nice to have the full circle," he admitted to her.

"Full circle?" she questioned.

"Yeah, like from when they were born until the day they died; full circle."

"Full circle," Ginny said nodding. "Okay, if that's what you want, then that's what you'll get. Now go to bed, I'll see you in Charms soon!"

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Hello everyone! Here's a bit of a happy chapter for you, and the introduction to Dudley's return!

Reviews: Not much to say this time. To comment on the review about Daisy, I don't want to give much out but I will say these two things: 1. Don't assume you know who is in the Potter's grave. 2. Don't assume Daisy is dead. This of course will all be answered in due time!

Next chapter we will see Jessica finally tell Ron about Neville.. Stay tuned!

Thanks as always!


	52. The Father, the Invitation, and the Spy

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Fifty-Two: The Father, The Invitation, and The Spy**

 **Hermione Granger – Present Day**

 **January 6, 2001**

"So, September the first, of this year!" Hermione said excitedly to Harry and Ginny.

"That's the date that came out," said Ginny, indicating to the white boxes beside her. "So, that's when it is!"

"I kind of like it," said Harry. "September the first was always my favorite day, since it was the day I got to return to Hogwarts, so getting married on a happy day for me is fantastic! Besides, it's not like anyone who is coming will have to be on the train to Hogwarts or anything that day; they are all either too young or too old to be going back."

"I thought you wanted to wait a few years, though?" Hermione asked, looking at Ginny.

Ginny shrugged. "It's a different time now; things like waiting for marriage doesn't matter anymore. Besides, it seems like we are always going to have some sort of threat, so is there really a point in waiting?"

"Speaking of threats, Harry, we really need to discuss what we are going to do. This situation with Daniels…"

"Not here," Harry interjected quickly, looking around.

"And not today," Ginny added.

"Ginny, this is important…"

"Yes, Harry, I agree, but there is something else that I need your help with tonight. We can discuss everything thoroughly tomorrow at the meeting."

"At the meeting?" questioned Hermione. "But shouldn't we just talk about it privately first?"

"Why?" asked Ginny. "I thought the secrets were done? You need to start trusting the Order!"

"It's fine," said Harry, giving Hermione a _we'll deal with it later_ kind of look. "Ginny, what do you need me to do tonight?"

"This way," she said sighing. They said goodbye to Hermione and headed towards the Burrow.

"I guess I'll head over to Draco's," Hermione said to herself. She had been disappointed when Draco decided not to join her at Harry and Ginny's engagement party, but he was adamant about his decision on staying behind. It took her only a few minutes to apparate to Malfoy Manor, and as she reached into her purse to get her galleon to let him know that she was there, the front door opened by Narcissa. "Oh, hello, I was looking for Draco," Hermione said hesitantly.

"Naturally," replied Narcissa. "I would like a word first; will you come inside?"

Hermione was quick to pick up on the invitation. There was an ancient magic that existed when a witch or a wizard invited another witch or wizard into their home. It served as a type of protection, but it also often served as an ultimatum. Hesitantly, Hermione accepted. "Alright," she said, walking over the threshold. "Let me just tell Draco that I am here."

"Draco isn't home at the moment, but do not worry, he will be back shortly. This way, please." Narcissa turned and walked towards the back of the house, and Hermione followed slowly, her hand on her wand beneath her robes. Narcissa lead Hermione to the only room that she had never been in before: Lucius' study.

"I thought I wasn't allowed in here?" Hermione asked skeptically.

"Normally, you are not, but today I am inviting you in." Narcissa opened the door and entered the room, walking over to a small table near a heavily curtained-shut window. She sat down and laid her wand in front of her. So, it wasn't going to be a fight, Hermione thought, as she sat across Narcissa and laid her wand in front of her as well.

"You've surrendered your wand after inviting me into your home," Hermione said bluntly. "I was unaware that we were enemies."

"We simply have different views, Ms. Granger," replied Narcissa. "I look forward to discussing them with you. But first, a cup of tea?" Hermione tensed. Narcissa implementing these ancient traditions could only mean one thing: she was drawing the line, and if Hermione did not oblige, there would be a war.

 **Jessica Ferguson – Present Day**

 **January 6, 2001**

Jessica held Ron's hand and lead him through the Burrow's kitchen, quickly passed (thankfully) Ginny and a confused-looking Harry, and brought him up into her shared room with Amelia.

"Teddy is so excited that Amelia is spending the night at their house," said Ron, oblivious to the fact that Jessica was about to tell him her biggest secret. "They really get on, don't they? Imagine if they ended up together!"

"Okay, Ron, my daughter is much too young for me to start thinking about her wedding!"

Ron laughed. "It would be something, though," he said, pulling her onto the bed. "For now, however, I would much rather think about us." He started to kiss her hard, and she allowed herself to get lost in the moment for a while. When she saw where Ron was going, however, she stopped him.

"Wait," she said.

"What's wrong?" he asked her, confused.

"Nothing is wrong, believe me, I _want_ to, I just, uh, I need to tell you something first."

Ron propped his head up on his arm and looked at her. "What's up?"

"It's, well, Ron, listen," she said, sitting up and looking at him. "I found something out recently that I _need_ to tell you, but I want you to know that what I'm about to tell you really shouldn't have any meaning at all, okay?"

"If it has no meaning, then why are you telling me?"

"Well, I suppose it has meaning, but not to me, or to us. I, uh, oh I'll just tell you; I found out where Amelia's dad is!"

"Oh," said Ron, not knowing how to respond.

"But it doesn't change anything between us, I want you to know that," she added quickly. "I found out where he is and who he is, but I want nothing to do with him."

Ron nodded. "Well, that's a relief," he told her.

"It is?"

"Of course! You said you want nothing to do with him, so who cares, then? Come back and lay down!"

"I need to tell you who he is first," she said quietly.

"Some stupid muggle who left you and someone I don't care to talk about!"

"Well, not exactly," said Jessica. "Ron, I saw him in _your_ world; it turns out that he's a wizard."

"Really?" said Ron. "I guess that explains a lot about Amelia. Is he a muggle-born?"

Jessica shook her head. "Pureblood."

" _Pureblood_?" Ron repeated. "That's impossible! Purebloods take their bloodline seriously; they would never walk away from their heir."

"He didn't know that I was pregnant."

"Even still; I don't know anyone named Nigel. What's his family name?"

"Ron," Jessica said slowly, grabbing his hand. "Ron, he, uh, he lied about his name; it isn't Nigel."

"Then what is it?" asked Ron, sitting up, and clearly afraid of her response.

"Neville," Jessica whispered, barely audible.

"Neville? The only Neville I know is Longbottom but it's obviously not him so who?"

"It is him."

Ron burst out laughing. "You clearly don't know who Neville Longbottom is!" he said, grabbing his stomach. "I don't think Neville would have the courage to say hi to a woman, never

mind getting one pregnant!"

"That's not very nice to say!" Jessica said, for some reason getting defensive. She obviously hated Neville for leaving her, but she didn't appreciate Ron making fun of him.

"But it's the truth!" Ron said, still laughing.

Jessica got angry. "Well, for your information, Ron, it _was_ Neville Longbottom who I fell in love with and had sex with and had a baby with!" She hadn't meant to lose it on him, as her whole goal was to break the news to Ron gently, but the way he was acting was really upsetting when she thought about the Neville that she knew back at the forest.

Her response was enough for Ron to stop laughing, however. "Neville?" He stopped speaking for a while, and Jessica could tell that he was thinking. "Neville knew that I was dating you, he must have known Amelia was his this whole time…"

"He actually had no idea," Jessica started to tell him, but Ron wasn't listening. He had stood up at this point and had started pacing, listing all the things that Neville had apparently done.

"He allowed me to think that you two had just met. He allowed me to talk about you as if he had never known you. He took Essa to the Yule Ball to spite me for being with you!"

"Ron, stop, none of that is correct!"

"Where is he, Jessica?"

"Why? It doesn't matter! I told you that this doesn't change anything!"

"This changes everything!"

"No, it doesn't! Ron, stop! I told you because I respect you, but none of it matters and none of it has to do with us!"

Jessica watched Ron try to compose himself. "Right," he said finally. "Well, Neville isn't allowed here, anyway, since I'm Secret-Keeper, and you and Amelia will never see him, so it's okay, you're right."

"Ron, I need to go talk to him…"

"What? No you don't!"

"Yes I do. He's Amelia's father, Ron. He's waiting for me right now to talk, to figure things out…"

"Figure what out? HE BAILED ON YOU!"

"Which is why I will never be with him again, but he is still Amelia's father!"

"HE BAILED ON HER, TOO!"

"He didn't know!"

Ron stormed out of the room. "Where is he?" he asked, as he stormed down the stairs.

"Ron, stop!"

"WHERE IS HE?"

"What's going on?" asked Harry, appearing at the bottom of the stairs.

"Get out of my way, Harry," said Ron.

"Harry, stop him!" screamed Jessica.

"Stop him," Ginny agreed, nodding towards Harry.

"GET OUT OF MY WAY, HARRY!"

"Hold on, mate," Harry said listening to his fiancée and trying to stop Ron.

"Don't make me hex you, Harry," snarled Ron.

"I was the one who taught you how to hex someone; I'm sure I could stop you. Calm down, mate, what's going on?"

"Does he know?" Ron asked angrily, turning around to face Jessica.

Jessica shook her head no. "Only Ginny."

"Ginny?" Ron repeated, staring at his sister in disbelief.

"Oh, grow up, Ron! I only just found out, and anyway, you're completely overreacting!"

"Will someone tell me what's going on?" Harry asked, as he tried to restrain Ron.

"Yeah, I'll tell you, Harry; I'm about to skin Neville!"

 **Gellert Grindelwald – Present Day**

 **January 6, 2001**

Gellert stared out of the window and past the big hill. He had told his followers not to disrupt him as he had a meeting with his rescuer, but she still had yet to arrive. Finally, after what felt like hours, he heard her heels tapping on the floor behind him. He closed the window and turned to look at her. "You're late," he said.

"Miss me, did you?" she asked him. "I was at Harry Potter's engagement party; I couldn't just leave, could I?"

"He's engaged now, is he? To Gloria, I presume."

"You know very well that her name is Ginny, Gellert."

"Gloria suits her better."

"You do like to rename people, although I don't understand why."

"I don't ask you why you do what you do, so don't question me either, Giselle."

The woman laughed. "Oh, I'm Giselle now, am I? Last time we met I was Dorothy."

Gellert shrugged. "Today you are Giselle. It is wise to use different names; people will never understand who it is that I am speaking to."

His rescuer shrugged. "You know they'll never know who I am. Anyway, shall we talk business?"

"Do you have any news for me?"

"You know that I _always_ have news, Gellert."

" _Well_?"

"You're always quick to expect something from me, but what about what I want from you? I didn't free you from Nurmengard for you to do whatever it is that you please!"

"I've done what you've asked, Giselle; I've wreaked havoc, I'm taking control, and Harry Potter and his friends will soon cease to exist."

"I asked you to get rid of Potter, Granger, and Weasley, yet all three still breathe!"

"You want me to gain control and I can't do that without the Hallows, so until I get them, I _need_ Potter!"

"Fine, kill him after, but what is stopping you from ending Granger and Weasley?"

"If I kill the people that matter to him, you know he will not give me what I need."

"So, you're just going to let him have whatever he wants, then? Just like You-Know-Who?"

"Do not compare me to that excuse of a wizard! I am much more powerful than he ever was! And I have not let Harry Potter go unharmed; it is I who killed his son!"

His companion laughed. "You attacked Ginny and she ended up delivering her baby too soon to survive; I hardly consider that _you_ intentionally killing Harry's son!"

"Did you come here to argue with me?" Gellert asked angrily.

"I came here to ensure that you are doing what is required of you to do!"

"Once I have the Hallows…"

"Yes, yes, yes, I know; once you have your precious Hallows, you'll rule the world!"

"I will!"

"Well, it is taking much too long, Gellert!"

"Harry Potter came to see me; he's cracking."

"You don't know Potter like I do. He isn't cracking; he's feeling you out."

"If you know him so well, what is your plan, then?" Gellert asked angrily.

"We need to be one step ahead of him, and so, I have successfully implemented a spy in the Order of the Phoenix!"

"What? How?"

"Harry Potter has recently recruited some new members. What he doesn't know is that one of them is secretly working for me."

Gellert smiled. "This is brilliant, Giselle! Now we can find out exactly where the Hallows are!"

"Harry isn't going to openly tell the Order where they are. Honestly, I thought you were intelligent? Oh, never mind. You work on getting those bloody Hallows; I will be in touch soon. Oh, and Gellert," she added, as she walked towards her exit. "Do hurry up."

 **Gellert Grindelwald – The Past**

 **April 29, 1997**

It wasn't very common for someone to walk by Gellert's prison cell. Other than the guards that only passed by once or twice a week, Gellert had never seen anyone else. That was why he was incredibly surprised and curious when a familiar wizard walked up to his cell, conjured up an armchair on the outside of the bars, and sat down in front of him.

"It has been a long time, Gellert."

"A very long time," came Gellert's hoarse voice. He wasn't sure when was the last time that he had spoken out loud. "To what do I owe the pleasure, Albus?"

Albus Dumbledore sat quietly in front of him for some time. Gellert waited patiently; all he had, after all, was time. He was curious, if not slightly hurt, that Albus would not look at him. Finally, his very old friend spoke. "I have contemplated coming for quite some time."

"And so you did, although I do wonder how you've managed to get authorization."

"I am Albus Dumbledore," he said smiling.

Gellert laughed. "That you are, old friend!"

"Old friend?" Albus asked, finally looking up at him.

Gellert studied his face; he had aged so much lately. "What? Did you think something like making me a prisoner in my own prison would change that?" When Albus didn't reply, Gellert added, "you don't look well, Albus."

"I am an old man, Gellert."

"As am I, yet here I am rotting in a prison cell, looking better than you." Albus smiled at him but did not reply. "What are you doing here, Albus?" Gellert asked him.

Albus sighed. "Why?" Gellert knew that he wasn't responding to his previous question.

"You know why, Albus. There was a time when you agreed."

"You and I had a very different definition of _The Greater Good_."

"Did we? That's not how I remembered it." When Albus didn't reply, Gellert stood up and approached his bars. "Come on, Albus! You and I both know that if Arianna hadn't-"

"Do not speak of her," Albus interjected, calmly yet firmly.

Gellert sighed. "If that's how you felt, then why did you take so long to duel me?"

"I will not pretend that you are not important to me, Gellert. Facing you was something I wanted to avoid, and hoped that you would come to your senses."

"My senses? Albus, do not act like you were not interested in the Deathly Hallows as well!"

"There were other means of obtaining them."

"Oh, and you would know?" The look on Albus' face was one that Gellert knew all too well. "You _do_ know!" Silently, Albus showed Gellert a quick glimpse of his wand. "No! Who?"

"You know who it was, Gellert."

"I was right?"

"And had you just listened to reason…"

Gellert laughed. "You knew my intentions from the beginning, and they were the same as yours, but if you wish to pretend that they weren't, then that's on you Albus, but you know that you cannot fool me."

"Perhaps," was all Albus had to say. He stood up and magically removed the chair that he had conjured up.

"Why did you come?" Gellert asked, genuinely curious.

"To say goodbye." And with that, Albus turned and walked away, but not before Gellert saw a darkened, cursed hand slip beneath his robes.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** A huge sincere apology to everyone following. I have promised a minimum of a chapter a week, and yet it has been a month since I've posted. My laptop crashed last month and I have had no way to post. I've actually felt HORRIBLE to the point that I've driven my husband mad with my constant cries of "fix my laptop, I need to post!" I truly do apologize but this was completely out of my hands. I wish I had the money to just go and buy a new laptop but unfortunately I do not. It is not fixed yet but should be within the next week or two AT MOST, and once it is I will give you more than one chapter as an apology. I just want to reiterate that I am 100% committed to this story and I will not abandon it! There is soooooo much story to go and it's all planned out, so I promise that I am in it until the end!

With that said, thank you again, and I promise I'm always here! Hope you liked this chapter =)


	53. Limina Praesidium

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Fifty-Three: Limina Praesidium**

 **Hermione Granger – Present Day**

 **January 6, 2001**

Hermione studied Narcissa's face. She knew that Narcissa was implementing the ancient magical traditions that was used amongst Purebloods. While she was doing some research to find out how Ritual Knots worked, she read about this ancient piece of magic. When a witch or wizard had something they needed to say, they would openly invite the other person over, place their wand in front of them, and offer tea. If both witches or wizards drank the tea, then an invisible piece of magic would appear, that would allow the host to say whatever it is that they wanted without the other retaliating. It was also used as a means of negotiation. Since neither of them could curse the other, they would use this time to come to an agreement of some sort. If an agreement was not met, then once the visitor exited the home, there was an understanding of war between them. Hermione had read about a wizard named Charles Buckley who used this method to try and tell a wizard named Ezekiel Mueller that he had murdered his brother. Since Ezekiel was unable to harm Charles due to the protection of the ancient magic, Charles had tried to use the time to come to an agreement where Ezekiel would not harm Charles. Ezekiel, of course, did not agree, and once he left the place where they met, a war had commenced between the two wizards and their families, lasting over fifty years and killing approximately seventy-two people. "Fine," Hermione finally responded to Narcissa. "I'll go and get us some."

"No need," replied Narcissa, not allowing Hermione to leave. "I will have our house-elf do it."

"You have a house-elf?"

"Of course. Did you think that after Potter stole ours from us, that we would not replace him? We have gotten a female this time; they tend to be more obedient. Twinkle!"

At the sound of her name, a small little house-elf appeared. "Mistress called?" she asked, nervously glancing over at Hermione. It was clear that Twinkle had previously been ordered to never allow herself to be seen by Hermione.

"Ms. Granger and I would like some tea."

"Yes, Mistress," and with a little pop, Twinkle was gone.

"So, what is this about?" Hermione asked impatiently.

"I thought we should have a chat," replied Narcissa. "But first, let us have our tea, shall we?"

"Of course, we must ensure that the ancient magic takes effect first, don't we?"

Narcissa smiled. "They are right about you being bright, but perhaps not as bright as they all seem to think," was all she said. Hermione made to question what was said, but stopped as Twinkle returned with the tea and poured Hermione a cup. "Drink up," Narcissa said to her, putting her own cup to her lips.

Sighing, Hermione drank her warm tea and sealed the ancient magic's protection. "Shall we get on with it then?" Hermione asked, both curious and nervous as to what Narcissa had planned to do. When Narcissa did not reply, Hermione continued. "Why am I in here?" she asked. "I thought I was not allowed in Lucius' study?"

"Under normal pretenses, that is correct," Narcissa replied, finally setting down her finished cup of tea. She leaned over to see if Hermione had finished hers, and her smile widened when she realized that she had. "I thought that today, however, was a special occasion. Besides, you are only seeing what I am allowing you to see, and clearly, that isn't a lot."

Hermione laid her hands on top of the table in front of her. "Honestly, Narcissa, I really don't have time for all of this, so can we get to whatever it is that you want to get to?"

"Certainly," she replied, still with that mischievous smile that was annoying Hermione. "Might I see that ring?"

Hermione looked down and saw that Narcissa was referring to her engagement ring. "Why?" Without responding, Narcissa silently waved her hand overtop of Hermione's, and the ring instantly turned back into the glass rose given to her by Draco. So, thought Hermione, wandless magic is not blocked by the ancient magic's parameters. She was happy to find out that piece of information, but upset with herself for not knowing how to properly perform any wandless spells. "You realize that is my property, right?"

"I don't want it," Narcissa said to her. "You may keep your rose; I simply wanted to remove the engagement ring."

"I can just transfigure it again," Hermione said, confused.

"The rose contains the Malfoy crest; as you are not a Malfoy, you cannot transfigure it."

"Fine, Draco will."

"Wrong again, Ms. Granger. Although my son is a Malfoy, he is not the patriarch nor the matriarch. Until such time that he weds, only myself and Lucius can control the crest. Did you honestly believe that anyone in a family could have such power?"

"Of course not," responded Hermione, catching on. "Purebloods are all about control; they would never let children in the family accidentally place their crest on something." Hermione meant it to be a criticism, but Narcissa was happy with the response. "So, you've changed my ring, whatever," Hermione said, irritated. "Draco will buy me a new one."

"Perhaps," said Narcissa. "But it will not have the Malfoy crest and should Dolores Umbridge come across it…"

"You do realize, Narcissa, that Draco's hearings are far from over? You are putting your son at risk too."

"My son is only at risk whilst you are in his life!"

Hermione laughed with anger. " _I'm_ the reason he isn't still in Azkaban!"

"You are, are you? I believe I was the one who had a Ritual Knot available for presentation."

Hermione shook her head. "What are you trying to do? As long as Draco has hearings, he needs to remain engaged to me whether you like it or not. Once he's cleared, then if you want me gone, you can take that up with Draco. For now, this is the way it is, otherwise Draco goes right back to Azkaban!"

"You're supposed to be bright, Ms. Granger, so let me ask you this. Can Draco be arrested from now until the hearing if he does not break any rules?"

"Not being engaged to me _is_ breaking the rules!"

"That is not what I asked. Can Draco be arrested from now until the hearing if he does not-"

"No, Draco cannot be arrested from now until the hearing if he doesn't break any rules! But-"

Narcissa held up a hand to stop her. "Very good; in that case, you and my son are not engaged, nor have you ever been engaged, and he will not be getting arrested."

"Umbridge thinks that there was a Ritual Knot ceremony completed!"

"Where is the proof of that?"

"You _and_ my parents claimed to be witnesses!"

" _Proof_ , Ms. Granger."

"We said it to Umbridge!"

"What was it that you said? Ah yes, it is her word against ours."

Hermione froze; she had figured out Narcissa's plan. "My plan to deny the Ritual Knot after Draco was cleared; you're using it now."

"Very good; I'm glad I didn't have to waste my time and explain it all to you."

"You realize that Umbridge will do whatever it takes to get him arrested, right?"

Narcissa shrugged. "I disagree, but that isn't your concern anymore, is it?"

"At his next hearing, Umbridge will undoubtedly bring this up!"

"Draco has never proposed to you and there is no record of his proposal. What there _is_ , however, is a document that you completed that states that _you_ claim to be his fiancée, but since his signature is nowhere on it, I would think that you would be the one who would then be under review."

"Draco will not allow this," Hermione said confidently.

"No? I do believe that the last time Draco had to pick between his family and yourself, you did not end up victorious."

Not knowing how to respond, and full of anger, Hermione stood up. "What is your ultimatum?" she asked her.

"What?" questioned Narcissa.

"I KNOW HOW THIS WORKS!" Hermione yelled, very unlike herself. "WHAT IS IT THAT YOU WANT?"

"Stay away from Draco."

"No."

Narcissa stood as well, but unlike Hermione, she was smiling. "If you do not agree, you are proclaiming war."

It was Hermione's turn to smile. "I've had Death Eaters come after me before, and now I have Grindelwald; do you truly believe that I am afraid of _you_ coming after me?"

"Very well; you have made your decision."

Hermione was silent for a moment. Draco _would_ back her up, wouldn't he? She thought of Harry and the fact that Draco was his secret-keeper. Harry had given up so much to protect her in the past, she couldn't possibly allow anything to happen to him, either. "I wish to negotiate my terms."

"I will not negotiate; you are not to be with Draco."

"If I agree to not be with Draco, I wish to negotiate _my_ terms."

Narcissa sat back down and gestured for Hermione to do the same. "Very well."

"If I stay away from Draco, you and your people are not to hurt _any_ of my family and friends."

"Be specific, Ms. Granger."

"Any member of the Order of the Phoenix, as well as my parents, and any underage witch or wizard."

"Ms. Granger, I do not need to negotiate with you. If you do not stay away from my son, I will have you killed. So unless you select, at the most, two names, I will consider it, otherwise, leave here and let us end this nonsense."

"My people have killed plenty of yours, too, and if you do kill me, I can assure you that Harry won't stop until everyone is killed, including Draco."

Narcissa's smile vanished from her face. "Two names," she said angrily.

"Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley," she said firmly. "As well as any underage witch or wizard, and my parents."

"I will agree not to harm Harry Potter or Ronald Weasley, as long as you stay away from Draco."

"Your _people_ can't harm them, either."

"I cannot control what others do, but I will not orchestrate anything; that is the best that I can offer."

"And my parents and underage children?"

"I have agreed to two names; take care of your own people, it is not my job! Are you in agreement or not, Ms. Granger?"

Hermione hesitated. She thought of Draco and their memories, but then she thought of Harry and all of theirs… "Agreed," she said, shaking Narcissa's hand. She grabbed her hand and left the room with Narcissa behind her.

As Hermione made to leave, Narcissa spoke again. "If you break our terms, Ms. Granger…"

"You can kill me; it's not like I haven't heard that before." And with that, Hermione crossed the threshold and left.

 **Neville Longbottom – Present Day**

 **January 6, 2001**

"Sorry it took so long," said Jessica, as she walked into the sitting room at Luna's house, where Neville was waiting for her. "Ron was pretty upset."

"I bet," Neville said sadly.

"He really has no reason to be though," Jessica said angrily. "It's not like I knew him back then."

"I suppose he is afraid that we will come together as a family now."

Jessica laughed. "Like that would ever happen!"

Neville frowned. "I didn't leave you because I wanted to, I had no choice."

"And you gave me no choice but to raise Amelia on my own!"

"I didn't know!"

"Then you should have communicated with me and I would have told you!"

Neville shook his head. "I did the right thing; Amelia was safer in the muggle world. Look what happened with her here!"

"And Ron and his family protected me, unlike you!"

"That is not fair," said Neville sadly.

"Don't even get me started on what is and isn't fair, Neville!"

"I don't want to argue with you," he told her truthfully. "Can we please just talk about Amelia?"

"What about?"

"When can I see her?"

"It's a delicate situation; she knows nothing about you."

"You have to let me see her! Jessica, please!"

"I will," sighed Jessica. "Just let me talk to her first."

Neville nodded. "Gran is going to be so pleased. She always thought I would never carry on the Longbottom name."

"Well, technically you haven't; Amelia is a Ferguson."

"But I'm the father."

"You weren't around when she was born, were you? How was I supposed to give her your last name when I didn't even know your real first name?"

"Well, she's young enough to learn it still."

"I'm not changing it!"

"You have to! Hogwarts will automatically default it to her paternal side, anyway, so wouldn't it make sense to-"

"Hogwarts? Amelia isn't going to _Hogwarts_."

"What? But Jess, she has to!"

"She doesn't _have_ to do anything! You may be her father, Neville, but you have no say in how I am raising her! This was a mistake," she added, and she left the Lovegood's house and ran towards the Burrow. Neville paced back and forth, not knowing what to do. Sighing, and realizing that he knew the answer all along, he grabbed a nearby quill and some parchment, and began writing a very lengthy letter to his Gran.

 **Remus Lupin – Present Day**

 **January 7, 2001**

"Remus, do you have a moment?" came Hermione's voice from behind him. Remus had been shuffling through Sirius' old treasure chest at Grimmauld Place, and hadn't heard anyone walk into the room.

"Of course, Hermione! How are you?"

"Quite stressed, actually."

Remus gave her his full attention. "Is this something to do with today's upcoming Order meeting?"

"No, and-" Hermione hesitated. "I was hoping to keep this away from the meeting – and from Harry – for the time being." Remus nodded, but said nothing. "Do you know anything about ancient magic and how it works?"

"That's a difficult question to answer, Hermione. There are a variety of different ancient magic. What are you referring to exactly?"

"I think it's called the threshold protection," she answered him.

" _Limina Praesidium_ ," Remus corrected her. "It is quite commonly used, actually, but not as strong as most ancient magics."

"It isn't?"

"Don't get me wrong, it is still powerful, but there are loopholes with this one."

"Like what?" Hermione asked curiously.

"Well, for one, if one person broke their end of the terms, the other person wouldn't know unless they saw it with their own eyes."

"So, if you agreed to, let's say, not speak to someone, but you _did_ speak to them, as long as the person you made the agreement with doesn't find out, then they can't initiate war?"

"Precisely," answered Remus. "But it is still risky to do. If anyone who knows about the terms saw and reported it, then that would initiate war as well."

"But what if someone lied about seeing it?"

"Well, that's where the ancient magic comes in. I am assuming all these questions are because you've created terms with someone?" Hermione looked down but did not reply. Remus sighed, at least he would be able to help her through it. "Where is the tea cup that the other person drank out of?"

"What? At her house, why?"

"It wouldn't be at her house. Check your robes; you both would have had to keep each other's cup in order for it to work."

Remus watched Hermione dig through her robes until she pulled out a teacup. "How did that get there?"

"She must have put it there. Who is _she_ , by the way?" Remus asked her.

"Narcissa Malfoy," Hermione responded quietly.

"I see. Well, look inside your cup; do you see the tea leaves in there?" Hermione nodded. "If Narcissa broke her end of the terms, and you found out about it, they would turn green."

"So, if I broke my terms, her cup's tea leaves would turn green?"

"Exactly, but only if she found out about it."

"So, if I broke my terms, but she never found out, her cups tea leaves would stay black."

Remus nodded. "That is why this method isn't always effective, which is why it is usually only used when talking about death. You can't really hide the fact that someone is dead."

"I see," said Hermione, looking down at the cup.

"Hermione, your terms…"

"I am not allowed to communicate with Draco, and she is not allowed to harm Harry or Ron."

"Did she say she was going to?"

Hermione shook her head. "She initiated all of this so that I would stay away from Draco. I knew enough about the magic that if I didn't agree, she would be able to initiate war, so I threw in some protection for my friends."

"Well, I suppose terms could have been worse. I am sorry about Draco, Hermione, but one day you will find the right person for you."

"I am still with Draco, Remus."

"What?"

"We just can't be seen in public, that's fine!"

"Hermione…"

"You said it yourself, Remus. As long as she doesn't find out, we are okay."

"But if Draco let it slip to her, her cup's leaves would turn green."

"I trust Draco; he wouldn't let anything happen to me."

"Hermione," Remus said cautiously. "I'm glad that you trust him, I really am, but don't you think that you should discuss this with Harry and Ron first?"

"Why?"

"Because you named them in the terms. If something were to go wrong, Narcissa would deliberately come after them first."

Hermione was silent for a moment. "Draco won't let anything happen to me."

"You're probably right, but just because you trust him, doesn't mean Harry and Ron do, too."

"Harry named Draco secret-keeper! Clearly he trusts him too!"

"Well, in that case you shouldn't have to worry about your conversation with Harry then, since he trusts him as well."

"Hey," came Harry's voice, as he entered the room. "Ready to start the meeting?"

"Let's go," said Remus, getting up and following Harry. As soon as Harry was out of ear shot, however, he turned back to Hermione. "Tell them," he said to her. "You owe it to them."

 **Albus Dumbledore – The Past**

 **June 16, 1945**

"Ah, Albus! Please, come in, come in!"

"Thank you, Cornelius," replied Albus, taking a seat in front of Cornelius Fudge's desk. "You have been busy, I see," he told Cornelius, gesturing towards the stacks of parchment on his desk. "I can't imagine how busy the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes must be."

"What? Oh yes, my department… very busy…" he scrambled through a drawer next to him and pulled out two tea cups, giving the one with a large chip to Albus. "Tea, Albus?" he asked, reaching for an already steaming kettle. He hesitated with the kettle in his hands, his eyes glancing around the room frantically.

"Shall I pour?" Albus asked him, picking up on the odd behavior.

"What? No, I can do it, I just need – Ah! There we go!" he said, picking up his wand and laying it in front of him.

Albus smiled; it was exactly what he was anticipating. "Cornelius, should you wish to commence _Limina Praesidium_ , I will happily oblige, but I do ask that you be truthful about it."

Cornelius sighed. "Please, Albus, I am under a lot of pressure." Obediently, Albus laid his wand in front him, accepted a cup of hot tea, and joined Cornelius in draining the cup.

"Now then, what is this about, Cornelius?"

"Albus, look, as a fellow wizard, it is my, uh, duty to assist the Ministry with, um, whatever they need assistance in, just like you do…"

"It is within every wizards best interest to assist the Ministry."

"Exactly! So, naturally, I feel, uh, compelled – yes, compelled – to assist with the take down of a dark wizard at large." Albus stared at Cornelius but did not reply. "Well, he has gone too far as I am sure you would agree, Albus, and I… I want to help."

"As many do."

"Precisely! And so, I, uh, I am asking you to help _me_ help the Ministry."

"What is it that you would like me to do?" Albus asked him.

"Oh, come on now, Albus! We all know that you are the only one who can take him down!"

"You wish for me to duel Gellert Grindelwald?"

"Well, uh, yes, I do."

"And I am assuming that this is what you are looking to negotiate?"

Cornelius blushed. "For the most part, yes."

"And what else?"

Cornelius did not reply for quite some time. Finally, he said, "Albus, h-have you decided on what career path you would like to take?"

"I thought that obvious, considering I am currently the Transfiguration Professor at Hogwarts."

"There are rumors, that, uh, you want the Minister of Magic's position?"

"Is there? I did not realize that we were in need of a new Minister."

"Well, with everything going on, there is no way the current Minister will last! What has he done to stop it?"

"You know, Cornelius, the position of Minister of Magic is not as easy as you may think."

"I do not believe it to be easy, Albus, but the Minister should be doing something! A good Minister would have already acted and done something to stop Grindelwald!"

"Such as yourself?"

Cornelius took a deep breath, but then proceeded. "I am the one here making this deal with you, aren't I?"

Albus thought quietly for a while. Finally, he spoke. "You wish for me to duel Grindelwald, and, if I understand correctly, support you in becoming the new Minister of Magic."

"W-Were you gunning for the position?"

"I have no interest in being Minister of Magic, Cornelius."

"Oh, well then, yes, that is what I want."

"You said you are making a _deal_ with me, so what am I receiving?"

"Oh, uh, what do you want?"

"This is your _deal_ , as you put it, Cornelius; it is up to you to tell me what you are offering."

"I am offering peace!" he said, slamming his fist on the table. "Don't you want that too, Dumbledore?"

"Of course, Cornelius, but I do not believe that I have to commit to a _Limina Praesidium_ to achieve it." The men looked at each other quietly. "Quite the difficult situation we have here, don't we?"

"How so?" asked Cornelius, confused.

"If I do not agree, we must declare war on one another."

"Why wouldn't you agree?" asked Cornelius, worried.

"Because I do not wish to be forced to do anything," Albus replied.

"Albus, I – I, surely you won't kill me!"

"Relax, Cornelius, I do not wish to hurt you. But let this be a warning to you; you should not enter into these types of things lightly. As a potential future Minister of Magic, I would hope that you would have much better sense than that."

"Of course, Albus, of course! So then, just to summarize, you will end Grindelwald's reign, support my election, and-"

But Albus had raised his hand to stop him. "I will attempt to put an end to Grindelwald's reign of terror, but I will not support the decision to elect you as Minister. If you are selected as Minister, however, you will agree to meet with me and allow my input in any matter that I request."

"That is absolutely absurd!"

"Ah, well, looks like I will have no choice but to duel you instead, Cornelius; I am sorry that it has come to that. Good day," said Albus, as he made to cross over the threshold.

"NO! WAIT!" Cornelius yelled, stopping Albus from leaving. "I accept your terms!"

"Very good; I shall take your teacup, then."

Reluctantly, Cornelius handed over his teacup, and pocketed Albus'. "Having a say in everything I do," he mumbled, but coherently enough so that Albus could hear him. "And I thought you didn't want to be Minister."

"Of course not; where would I find the time? Didn't you hear, Cornelius? Professor Dippet is retiring; I am to be the new Headmaster at Hogwarts. Have a good day." And with that, Albus crossed over the threshold and left the Ministry.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Still no working computer.. You have no idea how hard it has been for me! I have resorted to writing all my chapters by hand ans then typing them out whenever I can get my hands on a computer! Here's hoping that the New Year will bring me some technological luck!

So, in terms of the story, I would love to hear your thoughts about everything so far! This Limina Praesidium that Hermione has entered, what do you guys think? Also, what about the whole Neville situation? Looking forward to your reviews!

Thanks as always, and my sincerest apologies about all the delays!


	54. Grindelwald's Spy

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Fifty-Four: Grindelwald's Spy**

 **Harry Potter – Present Day**

 **January 7, 2001**

"Let's go through it again," Harry said to the group.

"We've been over it one hundred times!" whined Seamus.

"And we will go through it one hundred more if that's what it takes!" Harry snapped back.

"Harry, they don't understand like we do," Hermione said quietly to him. "We need to be patient with them."

"I don't have time to be patient, Hermione," Harry whispered back. He knew the look on her face, however, and knew that she wouldn't let down. "Fine," he sighed.

"Okay," said Hermione, facing the members of the Order of the Phoenix. "Let's go over what we do know."

"Grindelwald wants the Deathly Hallows," said Ginny.

"Harry knows where all three are," said Angelina.

"Harry has all three?" questioned Charlie.

Harry shook his head. "I have one – the cloak." There was no point in denying it when the majority of the Order had already seen it. "But the wand is secure and he won't be able to get it."

"And the stone?" asked Percy.

Harry looked towards Ron and Hermione. "I would say it's safe," he said, as both Ron and Hermione nodded.

"It would be like finding a needle in a haystack," Ron told the group.

"But zen it _is_ possible for Grindy-wald to find it," said a concerned Fleur.

"Even if he does, there's not much he can do with it. Who is he going to summon that will help him?"

"Dumbledore?" Suggested Molly.

"They may have been close before, but Albus would never help him – he was the one who took him down the first time!" said Minerva.

"I wouldn't be too sure," grumbled Aberforth.

"Should we go and get it?" Hermione asked him.

"I don't have time to go digging through the forest," Harry said quietly to her, but not quietly enough.

"Well, if it's in the Forbidden Forest, Harry, Fang and I can go an' get it," offered Hagrid.

"Let's move on for now," said Remus. "What about this Ralph guy?"

"He needs to be arrested!" Hermione said at once.

"On what grounds?" asked Kingsley.

"He attacked Hermione!" Ron yelled.

"Yes, but what grounds did Ms. Granger have for being there?"

"Does it matter?" questioned Harry. "He tried to kill Hermione!"

"Unfortunately, it does matter, Mr. Potter. Although attempted murder is never accepted, he could argue that it was self-defense as there was a trespasser on his property. If we are to arrest him, then we need to ensure that he cannot be freed on some sort of technicality."

"So, in other words, we have nothing to go on right now," Seamus growled.

"I wouldn't say nothing, but not a whole lot either," admitted Remus.

"Could he actually be related to You-Know-Who though? I thought his lineage was dead?" asked Lee Jordan.

"From what he said, it sounds like it's true," answered Harry. "What I don't understand, however, is how nobody ever found out about other relatives; wouldn't that have been a concern at some point?"

"Nobody was ever really looking into his heritage, though," responded Remus.

"Except Dumbledore."

"Yeah, well, Albus was an extraordinary wizard."

"I'm sorry, but how could _nobody_ other than Dumbledore think it important to find out more about Voldemort's family?" questioned Hermione.

"We were at war," Aberforth answered her. "All people cared about was taking him down."

"Well, we mustn't make the same mistake twice," she responded. "What do we know about Grindelwald's family?"

"Not very much," replied Minerva.

"Aberforth? He was around your place a lot, growing up."

"Still don't know much about him, only person that would, would have been Albus."

"So, why doesn't Harry use the stone and ask him?" asked little Dennis Creevey.

"It isn't that simple," answered Harry.

"Why isn't it?"

"People kill for these Hallows, Dennis."

"They kill for the Elder Wand, mostly," mumbled Ron. Harry gave him a look, but Remus interjected.

"Dennis may be on to something, Harry. I agree that the Elder Wand should not be in anyone's hands, but the other two don't seem as dangerous. You use the cloak all the time, and-"

"And in the wrong hands, it could be used to do horrible things!" Harry yelled.

"Yes, but it isn't in the wrong hands, Harry, and neither is the stone."

"Let's move on," Harry said, irritated with what he was hearing. These people didn't understand how dangerous the Deathly Hallows were; he was not about to agree to use anymore.

"We know that Grindelwald has people working for him," said Hermione, doing as Harry requested. "Who are they?"

"Thicknesse, for one," said Hagrid. "And all them Death Eaters that were released somehow…"

"They were released after a fair trial, Hagrid," said Kingsley.

"Fair trial my arse!" yelled Hagrid.

"There is a woman," Remus said quietly.

"A woman?" repeated Harry.

Remus nodded. "That day we went there, Harry. The cloaked figure was a woman; I saw her shoes."

"Probably a Death Eater," said Dean Thomas.

But Remus shook his head. "I don't think so, she was more of an informer of some sort."

"Umbridge?" asked Ron, angrily.

"She was too tall to be Umbridge."

"So, we know what we have to do then, don't we?" said Hermione. "Find out what we can on Grindelwald's family, and find out who this mysterious woman is."

"Ginny, you've never seen her, have you?" asked Harry.

"No, there was never a woman there," she said.

"This woman is significant," said Remus. "She wasn't just one of his followers; it was clear that she played an important role."

"And she was hidden," Harry added. "Meaning that she is most likely somewhere in one of our lives, filling him in on what's going on."

"Harry, you don't suppose-" started Percy, but Harry cut him off.

"I trust everyone here at the Order," he told him. "Besides, Hermione's charms won't allow anyone to say anything, anyway."

"We should make a plan," suggested Hermione. "I can do some research on Grindelwald; Aberforth, will you help me?"

"I can try," he grunted. "But I hated the wizard then, too; I doubt I'll be of any use."

"Luna, can you and Angelina snoop around the Ministry?"

"I do not think that is necessary, Ms. Granger," said Kingsley rudely.

"Oh, but it is. This mysterious woman is going to insert herself wherever she can get information, and what better place than the Ministry of Magic itself?"

"The rest of you stay on patrol," said Harry, before Kingsley and Hermione started an argument. Everyone got up and started to leave, when Harry was approached by Indira.

"Harry, I really think that the connection to You-Know-Who is important as well."

"I agree, but I don't know how to investigate it right now."

"Well, I have a theory; do you think I can go explore something near Ralph's home?"

"It could be dangerous."

"I know, but I think I have a really good theory on this and I want to try."

"Fine," said Harry, not sure why he was trusting this witch that he didn't know very well. "But take someone with you, like Tonks."

"Uh, actually, Harry, I would much rather go in Dora's place," interjected Remus.

"Why?" Harry asked confused. Tonks was an Auror, and a very capable witch.

"Because," said Tonks smiling. "I am pregnant again!"

 **Draco Malfoy – Present Day**

 **January 16, 2001**

"Draco, where are you off to?" Narcissa Malfoy asked her only son, as he made his way towards the front door.

"To find Hermione," he told her, throwing on his cloak. "I haven't spoken to her in over a week! She won't answer my galleon messages; I even sent her an owl!"

"I suppose she values her and her friend's lives after all," said Narcissa.

"What?" Draco asked, confused.

"Sit down, Draco, I would like a word with you." Draco sat down obediently; he would never disobey his mother. "Ms. Granger has made an agreement with me to never see you again."

"What?" he said, but in a very calm manner. "I thought you were okay with everything."

"Oh, Draco, did you honestly believe that I would let the Malfoy name be tarnished with a muggle's blood?"

Draco sat there stunned. "But my hearing… I am released on Hermione's engagement to me…"

"I have worked it all out, dear boy; there is nothing to worry about and no need for her to be around anymore."

"Mother…" Draco didn't know what to say. He loved Hermione, he could not say otherwise, but he knew better than to cross his mother. "Hermione would never have agreed to it," he decided to say.

"I made it worth her while," she replied.

"You threatened her?" Draco asked.

"And Potter and Weasley."

"And if I saw her, would you…?"

"Draco, I would do whatever it takes to ensure that your life is secure."

"My life _is_ secure…"

"It is now, my dear son. Draco, you are a Malfoy; your future was designed _years_ ago, before you even went to Hogwarts."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you truly believe that your father and I wouldn't have secured a proper witch for you? You are the last Malfoy; your bloodline is of the upmost importance!"

"A proper witch? Mother, what is going on?"

"You are not this stupid, Draco, so stop pretending. You are to marry the witch that your father and I chose for you years ago, that will preserve the Malfoy name and lineage. With everything going on, first with the Dark Lord, then with your father, there was no need to inform you of this information. But the time has come, Draco, and you are no longer a child. I have confirmed the marriage, secured the plans, and once this hearing is over with, you are to complete your Ritual Knot, followed by your wedding."

"I cannot complete a proper Ritual Knot with father in Azkaban!"

"I told you, Draco, I would do whatever it takes to protect you and the Malfoy name."

"Why do you care so much about the name Malfoy, anyway? You're actually a-"

"I am a Malfoy! I married Lucius Malfoy and I am honored to hold the name, as should you be! Now enough of this! Do not speak to Ms. Granger again, do you understand?"

"Of course, Mother."

"Very good."

"Just one more thing, though. Who is this witch that I am to marry?"

"Her name is Astoria Greengrass."

 **Gellert Grindelwald – Present Day**

 **January 22, 2001**

Gellert paced back and forth, trying to figure everything out in his mind. So, they knew that he had a witch helping him. That was alright; they had no idea who that witch was. He also now knew where the resurrection stone was located. "The Forbidden Forest, are you sure?"

"Positive, that's what Harry said at the meeting."

"And the Elder wand wasn't mentioned?" asked Grindelwald.

"Not its location; just that it was secure."

"You need to find out where it is located," Gellert said to him.

"I'm trying, but I can't give myself away, either."

"No, you can't. Well, the stone is a start… Are you still trying to get the cloak?"

The boy nodded. "I know it's always with Harry, but he doesn't actually leave it out in the open. I know I'll be able to get it at some point, though."

"Only when the opportunity presents itself, though; do not compromise your position."

"Is there anything else you need?"

"The precise location of the stone; the Forest is far too big to be able to locate it on our own."

"Got it."

"Thank you as always; you are very valuable to me, and I assure you, Dennis, we _will_ avenge your brother's death."

 **Nymphadora Tonks Lupin – The Past**

 **December 8, 2000**

"Remus!" Tonks called out towards her husband, who was helping Hermione organize all the new Order members who were crammed into the front hall of Grimmauld Place, waiting for the protection charms to be placed on them.

"If everyone can stop shuffling around, please," Hermione was calling out to the group. "I know that it is a bit tight in here, but none of you can pass until I finish these charms, and to do that, I really need you all to cooperate!"

"Just keep casting the charms, I'll organize the crowd," Tonks heard Remus say to Hermione.

"Alright, Dennis, let's do you next."

"Hey, I was supposed to be next!" yelled Seamus Finnigan from the back.

"Please do not shove, Seamus, you'll knock everyone down!" said Remus, as he headed towards Seamus.

"Remus, I need to talk to you!" Tonks called to her husband, trying to fight her way towards him. "Ouch!" Tonks had fallen over and banged her head on a nearby stand.

"Are you alright?" came Indira's voice, rushing towards her.

"I'm fine, sorry!" she said, as she made to stand.

"Indira, wait, you can't go that way until I do your charms! Here, let me do them quickly." As Hermione started working on Indira, Tonks pushed through the crowd some more, trying to get closer to Remus. "Alright, Dennis, let's continue," Hermione said as she got closer to the young man.

"It's my turn!" yelled Seamus impatiently.

"You will be done soon," came Remus' voice from behind Seamus.

"Remus!" said Tonks happily, finally reaching her husband. Her enthusiasm to get to him, however, caused her to trip, and she fell right into little Dennis Creevey. "Oh, I'm so sorry, are you alright?" she asked him, trying to help him up.

"I think so," he said from the ground. "Ouch!" he yelled out, when she grabbed his wrist to pull him up.

"Oh dear, you must have hurt your wrist. Poppy is here, she will be able to help. Oh but, Remus… Oh, never mind then, come along." She helped Dennis towards the kitchen and out of the busy hall, when she realized that she couldn't bring him this far. "Your charms! Hermione must put them up first."

"She already has," replied Dennis, cradling his arm.

"Oh, good. Come along, then, and we will make sure you get patched up."

"Besides, it seems like we are always going to have some sort of threat; so is there really a point in waiting?"

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** A shorter one, but an important one! Yes, Dennis Creevey is Grindelwald's spy! We will learn much more about that, so I won't say anything here. Also, in regards to the scene with Narcissa and Draco, there will be much more about that as well. Draco knows better than to say anything in front of his mother and that is why he was so obedient. This will be where we start to see just who Draco really is.

To reply to some reviews: I do not think Hermione is trying to insert Harry into this thing with Narcissa, she was actually trying to save him! And Harry has no idea either, so I wouldn't worry about it being a problem between him and Ginny at the moment. XxBloodheiRxX, thank you very much! I was actually smiling when I read your review, because most of what you were asking for was in this chapter! You will eventually learn more about the Malfoys and who is and isn't alive.

Hope you all are doing well and please keep on reviewing!


	55. The Newest Longbottom

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Fifty-Five: The Newest Longbottom**

 **Neville Longbottom – Present Day**

 **January 21, 2001**

Neville sat quietly on the edge of his mother's bed. She was pacing back and forth in front of him, not acknowledging him as usual. His father was sitting in the chair in the corner, fast asleep. Sighing, he decided to head back to Luna's for the night, when he heard someone enter the room.

"Oh, Neville, I'm sorry, I didn't know there were still visitors here."

"That's alright, Hermione."

"What are you still doing here?" Hermione asked him.

Neville shrugged. "I'm avoiding going back to my Gran's house. Actually, I've been staying at Luna's for the last little while."

"Oh. Are you and Luna-?"

"What? No! She's a good friend but that's it." Hermione nodded her understanding. "What are you doing here?" Neville asked her in return.

"Avoiding tomorrow."

"What's tomorrow?"

"Draco's hearing. I thought I would come here and do some work to take my mind off of it."

"You're studying my parents, aren't you?" Neville asked bluntly. "I don't mind," he said immediately, seeing the look on her face.

"Healer Martus and I are looking into their condition, yes," she said slowly. "But Neville, I don't want you to get your hopes up…"

"I know," said Neville. "I've accepted that they'll never get better, but it's still nice to know that not everyone has forgotten about them."

"Nobody has forgotten about them," Hermione said, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "They are part of the reason that we fight."

Neville nodded. "Why does my dad sleep all the time?"

"I'm not really sure," Hermione frowned. "I suppose he's bored."

Before Neville could say anything else, however, he heard someone else enter the room. "Hello, Neville, Ms. Granger."

"Gran," said Neville, both surprised and concerned.

"Hello, Mrs. Longbottom, I was, uh, just leaving," said Hermione.

"Thank you."

It was quiet until Hermione left, and then Neville spoke. "How did you know where I was?"

"Well, you haven't been home, and I saw Ms. Lovegood very recently in Hogsmeade, so I knew you weren't with her, so naturally, it left this place."

"D-did you, get my owl?"

His Grandmother sighed. "Quite disturbing news."

"I didn't know."

"You still shouldn't have left; she was your responsibility."

"I wanted to protect her."

"Then you would find somewhere safe to take her, not leave her alone in the woods. Your father would be disappointed, Neville."

"I'm sorry," was all Neville could say.

"It is your daughter that you will have to apologize to."

"You mean, I can see her?"

"Why wouldn't you see her, Neville? Regardless of what this muggle may think, Amelia is the Longbottom heir, and will be raised as such!"

"But Jessica-"

His Grandmother lifted a hand to stop him. "Jessica is being dealt with. We are arranging a meeting for you and Amelia, as well as myself. Now, I will be going, but I expect to see you at home shortly."

"I was going to go over to Luna's-"

"You are going to go home, Neville, and learn what it means to be a Longbottom. You are a father now; you must start acting like one."

 **Jessica Ferguson – Present Day**

 **January 22, 2001**

"Hey, Molly," said Jessica, as she entered the kitchen to get a drink.

"Hello, Jessica, Dear; just the person I wanted to see!"

"Is everything okay?" Jessica asked concerned, taking a seat across from Molly.

"Yes, Dear, I just wanted a word about Amelia."

"What about her?" Jessica asked defensively.

"You see, I've had a visit from Neville's Grandmother…"

"And?"

"Don't be upset now, Jessica; they've just recently learned that they have a new member of their family."

"Amelia is not a part of their family," Jessica replied sternly.

"I'm not going to tell you what to do, and I've advised Augusta Longbottom the same," Molly told her.

"Then what are you going to do?"

"Educate you."

"Educate me?"

Molly smiled. "Jessica, Dear, you are a very bright person, and I know you can make the right decisions for you and your daughter. But to do that, you need to know all the information. If you would allow it, I would like to explain to you how things work in the wizarding world, so that you _can_ make the very best choice."

"I won't change my mind, but I'll listen."

"That's all I'm asking for, Dear. Now, as you already know, Amelia is a witch, and when she turns eleven years old, she will receive a letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

"They can't force her to go."

"No, they cannot. Although most children do attend the school in their district, not every single child goes off to school."

"Really?"

"Really; some are homeschooled by their parents."

"So, Amelia could be taught by you, if I wanted to?" Jessica asked.

"I am not an extraordinary witch, Dear," Molly answered modestly.

"I've seen what you can do, Molly. You take care of this house and everyone in it. Besides, I wouldn't want Amelia to be an extraordinary witch, anyway. If she has the right to use magic, then I can deal with her learning a few spells here and there, but for the most part, she will be raised as a nargle."

"Muggle, Dear. But Amelia will never be a muggle; you can suppress the magic from her, although incredibly dangerous, but she is a witch, regardless if she is trained or not."

"What do you mean, _incredibly dangerous_?"

"Well, I'm not the one to ask as I have very little information on it, but from what I have learned, suppressing someone's magic can turn them into what is known as an Obscurus."

"What's an Obscurus?" Jessica asked.

"I'm afraid I do not know, but I do know that it is fatal."

Jessica sat silently for awhile. "So, you can teach her enough that she doesn't become one."

Molly smiled. "I could; but I would advise against holding her back from Hogwarts."

Jessica rolled her eyes. "Why?"

"Neville is a Longbottom; his family, like my own, is part of the Sacred Twenty-Eight."

"Ron told me about the Sacred Twenty-Eight," said Jessica, excited that she knew something. "It's like a group of government."

Molly nodded. "They do have quite the influence on decisions made in our world," she said. "Neville was the last Longbottom until now, so that means, once Neville steps down, the position will belong to Amelia."

"Well, I'll decline it."

"Unfortunately, Dear, that decision is Amelia's, once she turns seventeen. Until then, her guardian would have to take the seat on her behalf until she comes of age, if Neville stepped down."

"Me?"

"Not you, Dear; you are not a witch. In this case, it would be Neville."

"Wait, so if Neville stepped down, he would still be representing the Longbottoms anyway, since Amelia isn't seventeen?"

"It sounds a bit silly, but yes."

"And if Amelia refuses at seventeen?"

"Then it would be passed on to her heirs. But if she does not have any, then she will end the very long and ancient line of the Longbottoms."

"But what if her heirs aren't magical?"

"They will most likely carry the gene; she comes from the line of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, Jessica; the most noble of blood. It is incredibly unlikely that Amelia will produce a squib."

"A squib?"

"A descendant of a witch or wizard who does not possess the magical gene."

Jessica folded her arms across her chest. "If Neville has other children, could they take over, then?"

"Amelia, being the eldest, will have first choice. But if she declines, and he does have other children, then yes, they can. But that is _if_ Neville decides to have more children."

"If he cares about his legacy bad enough, then he will. It's not fair to put this burden on Amelia."

"Plenty of things in Neville's life has been unfair, Jessica; including this situation with Amelia."

"How is it unfair to Neville? He left me!"

"Neville's intentions were honorable, and nobody could judge him based on his history."

"What history?"

"It is not my place to say, Dear."

"Molly," Jessica pleaded, placing her hand out on the table. "You said you wanted to educate me; help me understand."

Molly sighed. "Not too many know the details of this story, and I think it best we keep it that way."

Jessica nodded. "I won't tell a soul."

"Alright, well, years ago, when Neville was just a baby, his parents sacrificed their lives to protect him."

"Neville's parents are dead?"

"A fate worse than death. Anyway, although not at all his fault, Neville feels guilty about it, so when he had encountered you, he knew that he was being hunted. After what happened with his parents, he feared for your safety if anyone found out that you were connected to him, so, naturally, he made his first priority to keep you safe. That is why he left Jessica; there is no other reason."

"Oh," was all Jessica could say. She sat quietly for awhile, analyzing everything that Molly just told her. Finally, she asked, "Will Amelia be known as a Longbottom?"

"In our world, the father's surname is always the name one takes, regardless of the situation."

"So, what are their intentions?"

Molly shrugged. "I suppose to meet her; they are going to want to be in her life, Dear."

"They can be, as long as I'm present. What are your laws? They can't take her from me, can they?"

"In our world, the mother cannot refuse the father the chance to see their child, but no, the father cannot dictate where the child goes; that right stays with the mother."

"Good."

"Jessica, I do wish to warn you, though. Augusta is a very good and loyal person, but she can be quite fierce."

"Don't worry, so can I."

 **Draco Malfoy – Present Day**

 **January 21, 2001**

Draco sat in Harry Potter's dining room for what felt like hours. He was starting to worry that perhaps he was not going to come home today. He recalled Hermione saying that often times they stayed at the Order of the Phoenix Headquarters when meetings ran very late. Draco began panicking. What if he _didn't_ come home today? It wouldn't be safe to galleon him as he was sure his mother would have a way of tracking that. Just as he was considering apparating outside of the Burrow's protections and somehow getting Weasley's attention, he heard the door to Potter's cottage open.

"Potter!" he cried out of excitement. "Ah, Potter, get that out of my face!" he said, swatting at Harry's wand.

"What are you doing in my house?" asked Harry, putting his wand away.

"I need to talk to Hermione. I know I'm not supposed to, but it's urgent!"

"Why aren't you supposed to? Did you two break up?"

"What? No, we didn't break – she didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?" asked Harry.

Draco swore loudly. "Can you just galleon her and tell her to come here? Don't mention I'm here, though."

"If she doesn't want to see you…"

"It's not that, it's for her safety. Trust me Potter, please?"

Harry hesitated. "Fine, but I want to know what's going on."

Draco nodded. "As soon as she gets here."

It didn't take long for Harry to galleon Hermione, and for her to arrive. "Harry? What's the matter?" came her sweet voice, as she walked through the front door.

"Hey," said Draco, walking towards her.

"Draco! But how? Your mum!"

"She doesn't know I'm here, don't worry."

"But Harry…" Draco saw the look on her face and knew that she was afraid to tell him the truth.

"We'll tell him together, okay?"

Hermione nodded. "Harry, can we have a few minutes?"

"Sure," Harry said, heading upstairs. "Why tell me anything, anyway," he mumbled, as he made his way to his room.

"It's so nice to see you!" Hermione said, throwing herself into his arms.

"Were you really going to not see me again?" he asked her quietly.

"Of course not, Draco! I was just trying to find a way that was safe for everyone. I didn't want to risk anyone's life, and-"

"And now we have more pressing problems to worry about," Draco finished for her.

"What do you mean?"

"My hearing tomorrow."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry. If there's one thing I do know about your mother, is that she wouldn't do anything that could hurt you. I'm sure she's found a way around everything."

Draco shook his head. "It's not me I'm worried about; it's you."

"What do you mean?"

"She's going to say that you forged those documents."

"So? Say that I didn't."

"I can't."

"Why not?" she asked defensively.

"Because," Draco sighed.

"Because you would rather I go to Azkaban than disobey your mother?" she asked angrily.

"Of course not! I just can't say anything because… because…"

"Does she have something over you, Draco?"

"Yes," he replied, quickly taking the out that she was giving him.

"What is it?"

"Uh…" he put his head in his hands, trying to come up with something.

"She's put a spell on you, hasn't she? So that you can't speak?"

"Yes," Draco lied.

"That evil woman! So I'll tell them that she did that; they'll have the means to reverse it!"

"NO," Draco said quickly. "It'll be dangerous for others, please, just trust me." He felt horrible for lying, but he had no other choice.

"So, what do we do?" Hermione asked quietly.

"Run," said Harry, coming down the stairs.

"You were listening?" Draco asked.

"Naturally," responded Harry.

"What do you mean run?" Hermione asked, getting back to the point.

"You don't have time to figure something out right now. If Narcissa has something on you, it will take longer than a night to figure out a way around it. Hideout at the Order for now; we will all deny that we know where you are, and you can use that time to figure out a plan."

"It could work," said Draco, knowing too well what his mother was capable of. "I wouldn't be able to see you though…"

"Her safety is more important," said Harry, very big brother like.

"Agreed," said Draco nodding. "Will you, uh, take letters for us?"

"Not until someone tells me why you two can't see each other," responded Harry.

Hermione frowned. "I made a terrible mistake, Harry, but I honestly thought I was saving people when I did it." She went on to tell Harry about her deal with Narcissa, all the while avoiding eye contact with him. "I've ended up putting you and Ron in more danger; I'm really sorry."

"She's not the first one who wants to kill me," Harry chuckled. "Honestly, Hermione, it's the least of my worries right now."

"You aren't mad?"

"Of course not! But, uh, I wouldn't tell Ron…"

"I'm with Potter," said Draco.

"Let's get you to Headquarters before anyone tries anything," said Harry. "Draco, uh, you probably shouldn't come around here…"

"I'll send you an owl after my hearing with the details," Draco said to Harry.

"Okay, and, uh, can you release the fidelius charm on here once Hermione floos to Headquarters? It's probably not a good idea for you to be my secret-keeper given the circumstances."

"Who will be, then? You can't leave the place unprotected!" said Hermione, concerned.

"Ginny," said Harry at once. "I'll galleon her to come here now."

Draco walked over to Hermione and gave her a hug. "This isn't permanent," he told her. "We will find a way to be together, I promise." And with a long kiss, he watched her head into the fireplace and disappear, with a tear in her eye.

 **Harry Potter – The Past**

 **May 3, 1998**

Harry sat on the broken bridge at Hogwarts, looking out towards the lake. He was much too far to see the giant squid from where he sat, but he was sure that even _he_ was mourning all the loss that had occurred last night.

"Harry," came the voice of Neville Longbottom.

"H'llo Neville," said Harry, not very enthusiastically. He has wanted to be alone, and told Hermione, Ron, and Ginny as such, but he should have known better than to think that nobody would bother him.

"It's finally over," Neville said triumphantly, sitting next to Harry.

"Mm-hmm," was all Harry said.

"You were brilliant, Harry! You destroyed You-Know-Who!"

"But at what cost?" Harry asked, remembering all the bodies in the Great Hall.

"It would have been worse if you didn't stop him; more and more bodies would turn up at his hand."

"I suppose so," responded Harry. "But I'm still responsible for all of this."

" _He_ is responsible for all of this; _you_ are responsible for saving us!" Harry said nothing; nobody would ever understand. "It must be hard being the Chosen One," Neville said, somewhat catching on.

"Voldemort made me the Chosen One," said Harry, not realizing exactly what he was saying, and to who.

"What do you mean? I thought it was that prophecy?" Neville asked, confused.

Harry studied Neville for awhile. Surely, Neville deserved to know that truth now that it was all over. "The prophecy never stated that it was me, Neville; it simply stated that the person to bring down Voldemort was the one born at the end of July. Out of all of those people, whoever Voldemort _thought_ was the Chosen One, actually _became_ the Chosen One."

Neville was quiet for a moment, probably digesting everything Harry just told him. "So, why did he choose you, then?"

"Snape."

" _Snape_?"

"Maybe I'll tell you one day," Harry said to him, not really interested in getting into his mother's past.

"Okay," said Neville. The pair of them sat in silence staring out towards the lake. "Out of all the people born at the end of July, what are the odds that it would have been you?" Neville asked, more rhetorically than anything else.

"About fifty percent," said Harry, answering the question regardless.

"How?"

"There were only two wizards born at the end of July that year, who had parents who thrice defied Voldemort" said Harry.

"But… That doesn't make sense… I fit that description, too."

"Exactly," Harry said, still not looking at him.

Neville shook his head. "If You-Know-Who did not pick you, then that would leave me…"

"Yup," said Harry, finally looking at him.

"That's impossible," said Neville.

"No, it's not, it's the truth. Your parents saved your life just like my parents saved mine." Neville sat there quietly, trying to process all of the information. "You deserved to know," said Harry, finally standing up. "But don't drive yourself mad thinking about it. This war is finally done – let it end. Very few people know what I just told you and I'm okay with keeping it that way." Neville nodded but still said nothing. Harry walked away and headed towards the castle. He knew he just put a lot on Neville, but Neville did deserve to know exactly what kind of heroes his parents were.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Hello everyone, hope you are all well! I have a terrible cold and have been confined to my bed.. Winters in Canada are tough! So, let's talk.. I wanted Neville to know the truth about the prophecy.. I didn't want Harry to give him all details, but it was important that he knew and so that's why I had Harry tell him. We are going to see quite a change happen.. Keep an eye on the trio! I will say this: from now until Harry and Ginny's wedding in September, nothing will be the same (I don't mean within their relationship - just within the story) What's coming up: Draco's hearing, what will happen to Hermione, Jessica's meeting with Augusta Longbottom, and Indira's mission with Remus to find out more about Ralph.

Thanks as always, and keep reviewing!


	56. The Riddle Estate

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Fifty-Six: The Riddle Estate**

 **Draco Malfoy – Present Day**

 **January 22, 2001**

"I will ask you again, Mr. Malfoy, and this time, I require a yes or a no _only_ ," Dolores Umbridge said to him. Draco Malfoy was at his hearing, but unlike his usual review hearings with Potter, Yaxley, and Shacklebolt, this hearing was being conducted by Dolores Umbridge. It turned out that apparently, Umbridge's new role allowed her to conduct any hearing she wanted, provided that there was proof of some sort of legal misconduct. There wasn't, of course, but with his mother's plan to sabotage Hermione, it gave Umbridge all the leverage she needed to interfere. "Were you engaged to Hermione Granger?"

"Yes," Draco answered, not looking at his mother. He did, however, make eye contact with Harry, and they shared a very discrete nod.

"I believe your work here is done, Dolores," said Harry, standing up and attempting to take back his hearing. "Since there is no misconduct as you claimed there was, this review hearing now falls into the hands of the Dobwig Association."

"I am not done!" yelled Umbridge, trembling with rage.

"I think you are," responded Harry coldly.

"Minister!" she screeched.

"Dolores, please complete your questioning if you are not done," responded Kingsley. "Then, please allow Harry to finish his hearing."

Standing up tall and puffing out her chest in victory, Umbridge turned back to Draco. "When did you complete your Ritual Knot with Ms. Granger?" she asked him.

Draco caught sight of his mother from the corner of his eye. He knew, this time, that he could not lie. "I didn't," he said sadly.

"You didn't? So you lied?" she said, grinning mischievously.

"You do not require a Ritual Knot to be engaged, Dolores," said Harry. "My fiancé and I do not have one, either."

"Ah, but to complete _this_ document," she said, holding up the parchment that had released Draco from Azkaban, "a Ritual Knot _is_ in fact, required."

"Dolores, what are you saying?" asked Yaxley.

"I am saying that Ms. Granger was dishonest when completing this document, and her actions have very dire consequences!"

"Very well," said Harry, standing once more and taking charge of the room. "You do as you see fit, then, given the evidence. I will now conduct my review hearing of Mr. Malfoy; you may see yourself out." Angry, but satisfied nonetheless, Umbridge left the room, and Harry continued on with Draco's hearing. It wasn't a very long one, and Harry had released Draco of all conditions set upon him. Harry walked out of the courtroom with Draco right behind him, anxiously waiting to hear what was going to happen to Hermione.

"Potter, there you are," said Umbridge, as if she hadn't known that Harry was in the courtroom. "We have successfully laid charges on Ms. Granger," she said proudly. "Where is she?"

"No idea," responded Harry.

"I do not have time for foolish games, Potter! We all know your connection to the girl, where is she?"

"Hermione is my friend, but I do not track her location," said Harry. "I was in the courtroom, with _you_ , Dolores; I do not know where she is."

"It is your duty to bring criminals in, Potter!" she yelled.

"And you have the support of my department," said Harry. "I shall let you know if I come across her." Draco watched Harry walk off and just as he considered going after him, he heard his mother call him.

"Draco, come." He followed his mother to a more private location. "Why did you do that?" she asked him sternly.

Draco shrugged. "I wanted to alleviate whatever I could off of her name."

"And if the Greengrass' find out? Did you consider that?"

"I'll deny it," he told her.

"You are such a foolish boy, Draco. Do not forget who you are."

"I have not forgotten," he told his mother, but in a respectful tone.

"Good; now do not let me find you anywhere near Ms. Granger or her friends, either."

"When do I meet her?" Draco asked, referring to his one-day wife.

"At your Ritual Knot Ceremony," she told him.

"But how-"

"Leave that to me," she said, as she walked away and headed towards the exit. Draco thought silently for a while. It was not possible to have his Ritual Knot without his father present, as long as his father was alive. He considered all the ways that his mother could have his father released, until he realized that wasn't her plan at all. Draco swore loudly. He didn't think his mother was capable of doing what he thought she was doing, but there really was no other alternative. Panicking, he rushed out of the Ministry and headed towards the house of someone he hadn't spoken to in a very long time.

 **Remus Lupin – Present Day**

 **January 21, 2001**

Remus allowed Indira to use side-along apparition to take them to their destination, but upon arriving, Remus knew exactly where she was taking him. Frowning, Remus looked at Indira and asked what he needed to know.

"How do you know of this place?"

"You know where we are?" Indira asked him. Remus nodded but said nothing. "I've done some research," she said, as they walked side by side. "I'm sure Harry knows much more than I do, but Minerva helped me go through some books Albus had left behind before he died, and often times he would write in the margins."

"He wrote about this place in a book?"

"Not exactly," she said. "But there was a map of Little Hangleton in a muggle book that he had, and he had written the words _Riddle_ and _Gaunt_. It wasn't hard to figure out what Albus had meant, and pretty soon it led me to this place." She pointed towards an Estate that was covered in ivy and looked to be abandoned.

"Have you been here before?" Remus asked her.

"No. Apparently, some rich bloke owns the Estate but nobody has ever seen him visit. The Gaunt property can be seen from the building, though, and I thought we would be able to peer into Daniel's home and try and figure out what he's hiding without him knowing."

"We would be trespassing on the Estate, though," Remus said to her.

"Nobody has been here for years, Remus! Besides, it's a muggle property, so we don't need to worry about any traps."

Remus sighed, but knew he had to follow Indira's plan, otherwise he would give away some very secret information. "Alright, but I'll lead," was all he said to her.

"How did you know where we are, anyway?" she asked him, as they approached the Estate.

"I've been here once," he said, pulling out his wand.

"Why?" asked Indira, following Remus slowly towards the entrance.

"I knew of a girl who was born here."

"Really?" asked Indira, now pulling out her wand. "As far as I've heard, nobody has lived here since the Riddles were murdered back in 1943."

"Well, she doesn't live here anymore," replied Remus, pushing open the unlocked front door. "But I was under the assumption that her father still did," he whispered.

"Who?" Indira asked. But before Remus could reply, another voice spoke.

"You are trespassing." The voice was familiar, and although Remus could not see where the man was as the Estate was incredibly dark, he knew who was speaking.

"As are you, Ralph."

"Are you sure about that?" asked Ralph Daniels, as he appeared suddenly, under a candle light at the top of a large staircase in front of them. "You may wish to check your records again."

"You own this Estate _and_ the Gaunt property?" Indira questioned him.

Ralph shrugged. "I am a very lucky man. Now, I suggest you both leave, before I contact the muggle authorities and say that you've broken into my Estate."

"The muggle authorities?" Indira laughed.

"It would be a good laugh for me as well," he responded. "Now, leave!"

His tone was very authoritative, and slightly scary, and although Indira made to leave, Remus did not budge. "Where is he?" Remus asked.

"I do not know who you are talking about," responded Ralph, looking Remus dead in the eyes.

Remus stared back, the wolf deep inside him fueling his rage, and slowly made his way to raise his wand, when Indira placed an arm on him. "Remus, let's go," she whispered, not taking her eyes off of Ralph. Defeated, Remus left the Estate with Indira, but made a note to himself to return on his own soon. "Who were you asking about?" Indira asked him, once they were well away from the Estate.

"The girl's father," he said, still fingering his wand on the inside of his robes.

"You knew this girl well?" she asked him, clearly picking up on his mood.

"No," he answered truthfully. "But her family is quite important to me," he responded, partially truthful. He heard Indira preparing to ask another question, but he stopped walking and turned to face her. "Look, I really cannot discuss what I know about those people," he said to her. "It's, uh, not my secret to tell."

Indira nodded. "I understand," she said, "and I won't ask any questions, but could you at least tell me her name?"

"Why?"

"Because this Estate _and_ Ralph are being investigated. At least like this I can ensure to keep her, _whoever she is_ , out of the investigation."

Remus turned towards the apparition spot, but just before he made his way back to Headquarters, he quietly said, "Daisy."

 **Harry Potter – Present Day**

 **January 21, 2001**

"Hermione!" Harry called out, as he made his way to the room at Grimmauld Place where Hermione usually slept. "Hermione!" he said again, when he found her sitting on the bed reading a book. "Grab your things, quickly!"

"Why? What's wrong?"

Harry didn't respond, but instead used magic to pack Hermione's things up quickly, and headed out of her room. "Follow me," he said to her. He didn't have to lead her very far, and within moments, they were in Harry's room of the house, on the top floor in the master bedroom.

Hermione followed him inside, where he then shut the door behind her and locked it. "What's going on?" she asked him.

"You're staying in here for now," he said to her, taking a seat on the bed.

"Why?"

"Because Umbridge is out to get you, as we expected," he told her.

"Okay, and what does that have to do with my room?" she asked in response, also taking a seat on the bed.

Harry sighed. "Kingsley."

"Kingsley?"

"Umbridge has released your name to all departments, and all are expected to turn you in if they find you."

"And?"

" _And_ Kingsley approached me and told me that if he finds you at Headquarters, he will be forced to take you in, as it his duty as Minister of Magic."

"Nobody can find me here!" Hermione said exasperated. "Grimmauld Place is unplottable and impossible to enter unless you're a member!"

"But Kinglsey _is_ a member."

"He would do that?" Hermione asked quietly.

"He takes his position as Minister too seriously," said Harry, angry that they haven't chucked Kingsley out of the Order yet. "I should just have his privileges in the Order revoked and-"

"No, Harry," Hermione said, cutting him off. "It's better to be on the Ministry's good side, remember? I'll find somewhere to go, I'll just need to gather some things."

"You will be staying in this room, Hermione, and I better not find out that you tried to leave."

"How can I stay here? Kingsley is in this house all the time!"

"Not in my room he isn't. Nobody has access to this room except for Ginny and I."

"I don't put snooping past him, Harry."

"Neither do I, but he physically cannot get in this room."

"You've charmed it, haven't you?"

Harry smiled. "Nobody can come in here unless brought in by me or Ginny. I know it isn't ideal, but you'll be safe here for now."

"What about you and Ginny?"

"We have my flat; besides, there's much more privacy there."

Hermione threw a pillow at him. "Seriously though, Harry, I don't want to be a burden."

"You aren't; you'll sleep in here, the bathroom is through there," he said, pointing to the on-suite, "and, uh, Kreacher is going to bring you meals."

" _Kreacher_?"

"Kreacher!" Harry called out.

"Master called," said an old greying elf, after a tiny pop was heard in the room.

"I need you to bring Hermione three meals everyday in here, and whatever else she needs," Harry told him.

"Kreacher is to serve the mudblood?" Kreacher asked, looking at Harry with a shocked expression.

"You are to _only_ call her Hermione and nothing else, understood?"

"Kreacher lives to serve the most ancient and noble house of Black," he said, turning away.

"And nobody is to know that she is here," Harry added.

"Yes, Master," he said, and with another tiny pop, he was gone.

"I don't know about this, Harry," Hermione said.

"It's done, Hermione, this is what it is for right now." When Hermione didn't say anything, Harry said what he assumed was on her mind. "He's clear of all charges."

Hermione smiled. "Thank you, Harry. Did he bring me a note by chance?"

Harry shook his head. "Sorry," he added.

"I'm sure he will as soon as he can."

"Do you need anything else?" Harry asked her.

"No," she said, opening her bag and pulling out a book.

"This is only temporary, Hermione; we will fix this."

"I know," she said, smiling. "In the meantime, however, I could always use some spare time to catch up on some reading."

 **Remus Lupin – The Past**

 **June 27, 1997**

Remus quietly entered the dark and gloomy Estate through the front door which he knew to always be unlocked. He hadn't visited for quite some time, but he had expected to find a much cleaner and livelier place. He was startled when he heard a voice behind him.

"What are you doing here, Remus?"

"John," Remus replied, lowering his wand.

"You shouldn't be here," John said, turning away.

"I had to come," Remus answered honestly. "Albus said that Harry had told him that _he_ was here."

"He was," responded John. "But he never saw me _or_ Daisy."

"Where is Daisy?"

"Safe," replied John. "And that's all you need to know, Remus; she isn't your problem."

"And where were you while he was here?"

"The Gaunt property," he said.

"And now you're back?"

John shrugged. "Beats staying at that old Gaunt place."

"Someone owns this Estate, John; you really shouldn't be here."

"I know someone owns it, Remus; I'm the one who sold it to him, wasn't I?"

"I can find you somewhere safe…"

"I don't need your help!" yelled John. "We made our deal, there is nothing else I need of you! You need to go!"

"You know that I'm a Wizard, John, you know I can help…"

"Help? HELP? You people are the reason that I had to make that deal with you in the first place! Get out of here, Remus; our business is done and I never want to see you again!"

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Okay, so! Yes, John is a new character. He won't be a major one and we won't see much of him in the present (maybe one or two scenes at the most) but he is important for past scenes, and has to do with that secret that Remus and Sirius kept from Harry. I will let your minds wander about who Daisy is and where she is. Any thoughts on who Draco is off to meet? I'm curious to hear your guesses!

Keep reviewing and see you at the next chapter!


	57. The Side on Which They Lie

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Fifty-Seven: The Side on Which They Lie**

 **Draco Malfoy – Present Day**

 **January 22, 2001**

It was well after midnight when Draco arrived at his destination. He lingered quietly outside of the house, debating on how he should proceed. He knew that he had no choice but to do it, but he also feared the consequences. Taking a deep breath, and fighting the urge to have his wand at the ready, Draco entered his old friends house, unarmed. He knew exactly where to go, given the number of times that he had been here in the past, and just as suspected, he found who he was looking for in the basement. "I thought you would have attacked me at the door," Draco said to his old friend.

"I knew it was you," said Vincent Crabbe, his back still to Draco.

"Oh, well, thank you for not attacking me," was all Draco could say.

"Yet," said Vincent, still not looking at him. "What do you want?"

"A favor," replied Draco.

Vincent snorted. "Like I'm going to help you."

"What happened, Crabbe?"

Vincent finally turned around and looked at him. "You're _really_ going to ask that, Malfoy? Your family was almost killed by the Dark Lord; did you really think that I was going to allow that to happen to my family?"

"But the Dark Lord is gone now."

"He may be, but his beliefs aren't. What, did your parents only follow along because of the Dark Lord? No wonder they were almost killed."

"So what, you're supporting Grindelwald now, then?"

"Forget Grindelwald!" spat Crabbe. "True Death Eaters don't need to follow one person! The Dark Lord set us on our path and we know what we need to do. But you wouldn't know anything about that, would you?"

"Death Eaters are supposed to stick together, so if you're all meeting, I should have been informed!"

Vincent snorted. "You actually believe we would have brought you in? You're dating a mudblood!"

"To get information!" Draco lied.

"Whatever, Malfoy, get out of here."

"No, not until you help me."

"Don't you realize? You're a nobody now, get out!" Vincent drew his wand, but Draco was quicker.

"Expelliarmus!" Draco yelled, and he caught Vincent's wand. "You know that you could never beat me in a duel, Crabbe, and I don't recommend you trying either."

"If you do anything to me, the Death Eaters will get you."

"I am a Death Eater, Crabbe."

"Then where is your mark?"

"Did you honestly think that I would willingly go to Azkaban? I let them take it off me so that I wasn't arrested!"

"A real Death Eater would have gone proudly," Vincent yelled. "Like my father!"

"Well then, let's break your father out, shall we?"

Vincent paused momentarily. "How?" he finally asked.

"I have a plan, but I'm going to need you to do it."

"What's the catch?" Vincent asked.

"We get my father out first."

"No," Vincent said plainly. "I'm not stupid, Malfoy. You'll rescue yours and then you'll leave; I'm not doing it and leaving my father behind."

"If we follow my plan, we'll get every last Death Eater out."

"I don't trust you."

"Come on, Crabbe, when have I betrayed you?" When Vincent didn't respond, Draco continued. "You left me _and_ Goyle to die in that Fiendfyre. Goyle hasn't figured it out yet but you know he will one day, with a little help."

"That's a lie; I had a plan for Goyle."

Draco heard the fear in Vincent's voice; clearly he didn't want Gregory to turn against him. Draco smiled. "You and I both know that you didn't, but it doesn't matter, I didn't tell Goyle, just like I didn't tell Potter or anyone at the Ministry that it was you who casted the Dark Mark in that clearing."

"How did you-?"

"Because I was there, idiot, and I heard you. But I didn't say a word, because my loyalty will always lie with the Death Eaters."

"I still don't trust you."

"Then trust this: if my father dies, I'll be sure to personally kill yours."

"You don't have the means of killing my father while he is in Azkaban!"

"THEN TELL ME HOW SOMEONE HAS THE MEANS TO KILL MINE?" Draco finally snapped. "You think I haven't figured it out, Crabbe? My mother is having my father killed; it is the only way my Ritual Knot can be completed without him. Tell me who is going to kill him, and I swear Crabbe, the Ministry will never know a single thing about you."

"And if they do?"

"Then you have the means to kill both me and my father."

"So, you would go against your mother and stop this?"

"My mother doesn't want my father dead, but she thinks that it's the only way to make this Ritual Knot happen. If I free my father, then he can do the ceremony himself, and everyone wins."

Vincent thought long and hard for quite some time, but finally, he spoke. "You need to prove you're on the right side, Malfoy."

"I already have."

"Not enough! Join me and the Death Eaters again, and prove your allegiance." Draco nodded; what other choice did he have? "Good; I'll galleon you when it is time, now get out of my house!"

 **Harry Potter – Present Day**

 **February 2, 2001**

"Find anything interesting?" Harry asked Hermione, as he entered his room at Grimmauld Place, where Hermione had made her temporary home.

"Sadly, not much," she said, closing the book that she was holding. "The Gaunt lineage is in none of these books," she said, indicating to the twenty or so books that were piled around her. "The only thing I have found was whatever was written in Rita's book, _The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore_ , but you and I both know that I can't trust a word of it."

"The Gaunts are mentioned in that book?" Harry asked, surprised.

Hermione nodded. "Only briefly, though. According to Rita, Dumbledore's mother was related to them, but no other book confirms it. It's probably just Rita's usual nonsense."

"Maybe," said Harry. "But we can confirm that by speaking to Aberforth."

"He's not going to want to help, Harry. Haven't you noticed how disgruntled he gets?"

"Well, like it or not, he's the only person who can answer these questions. He's part of the Order; he'll help."

Before Hermione could say anything else, shouting was heard from below. "What's going on?" she asked.

"No, idea," replied Harry. "Stay here." Harry made his way downstairs to the kitchen, where he found Ron screaming at Kingsley, with Remus standing in between them. "What is going on?" Harry said loudly, trying to be heard over the shouting.

"This slimy git," started Ron, but Kingsley cut him off.

"Watch what you are saying towards your Minister of Magic!"

"Here, you're not the Minister, remember?" said Harry, not caring that he was being rude. "Ron, tell me what's wrong."

"This _bastard_ heard me telling Remus that I was going up to see Hermione, and now he is demanding that I hand her over!"

"It has been ordered by the department of Law Enforcement that she be brought in!"

"What about when it was ordered for me to be brought in, Kingsley? If I recall correctly, you were helping me then."

"Harry, as the Minister, I am obligated-"

"You are obligated to leave Grimmauld Place and never come back!" Ron interrupted.

"We all know Hermione isn't here," said Remus, trying to diffuse the situation. "I'm sure what Ron had meant was that he was going to her hideout, by _up_ , he probably meant north or something."

"No, Remus," said Harry angrily, shooting daggers with his eyes at Kingsley. "Hermione is upstairs in my room. What is it that you're going to do, Kingsley?"

"Mr. Potter, you know I _have_ to bring her in."

"Actually, you don't have to do anything. As a member of the Order of the Phoenix, it is our job to protect those who are innocent."

"But she is not innocent!" Harry drew his wand on Kingsley. "Remember who I am, Mr. Potter!" Kingsley growled.

"A traitor!" yelled Ron.

"I've fought against the Ministry before, Kingsley, only that time you were on my side. But if I have to do it without you, I am more than willing."

"Harry, lower your wand," Remus said quietly. Harry obliged, but he kept a firm grip on it, preparing to bring it up again if he needed to. "Kingsley, nobody is handing Hermione to you or the Ministry. I understand your position and as such, if it ever comes out that Hermione was hidden here, we will be sure to note that you hadn't any idea. Harry, I assume the charms that are placed on the members will prevent the Minister from telling anyone that Hermione is here?" Harry nodded. "Well then, I believe that settles that. Good day to you, Kingsley. Come along Harry and Ron," Remus said to them. Once out of earshot from Kingsley, Remus turned to Harry and Ron and frowned. "You two need to watch yourselves. This isn't the first time that the wrong side has persuaded good Ministry officials to work with them."

"Do you think Kingsley is under the Imperius Curse?" Ron asked.

"No, I don't think so, but that doesn't mean he hasn't been influenced in other ways."

"What do we do?" Harry asked.

"Hermione is safe where she is and the charms prevent anyone from telling the Ministry about this place, so for now, we stay quiet and do nothing."

"The Ministry cannot get away with this," Harry said angrily.

"Harry, I understand your frustration, but you know first hand that if you go up against the Ministry, you will lose. You have a strong position in the Ministry right now with the Dobwig Association; use it to your advantage, but do not lose sight of what the goal is."

"What are you saying?" asked Ron.

"Find grounds to arrest Daniels, but make sure that you do it by the book; the Ministry will try and counter everything that you do."

"I'm sure Hermione can think of something," said Ron, and he turned around and made his way upstairs to start strategizing.

 **Gellert Grindelwald – Present Day**

 **February 9, 2018**

"You summoned for me?" asked Pius Thicknesse, as he entered the room.

"Ah, yes, Pius, I need to see your Dark Mark please," Grindelwald said to him.

"My Dark Mark, master? Why?"

"I am trying to see if it has any correlation to the Deathly Hallows."

"The Hallows, how?"

"Riddle was interested in them too, wasn't he? I need to know everything that I can about them and rule out anything that doesn't apply. Now, let's see."

"I, uh, can't show you," Pius stammered, looking at his feet.

"Why not?" asked Grindelwald, approaching his recruit.

"We got rid of them, see, to protect us from being sent to Azkaban…"

"We?" Grindelwald repeated. He grabbed Pius' arm and pressed down on where his Dark Mark should have been.

"Oww!" bellowed Pius.

"You've removed it," said Grindelwald, staring at his arm. "But you didn't do a very good job, did you?" asked Grindelwald. Where the Mark used to be was nothing but raw skin that looked like it was burnt at some point. "Why is it hurting?" he asked him.

"It was done recently," said Pius, wincing.

"Liar! Do not lie to me, Pius!"

"Okay!" screamed Pius, as Gellert pushed harder on his arm. "We removed it and replaced it with an invisible one, so that we can still be contacted."

Gellert studied the arm for quite some time. "The Death Eaters are still assembled?" Pius nodded. "Who leads them now?"

"Nobody," answered Pius. "It's a group thing, now. We just carry on with what we used to do when the Dark Lord was around."

"Who was the one to remove the mark and put in a new one?"

"A nurse was presented to us, under the Imperius Curse, Master."

"Someone had to have come up with the formula for the new one."

"Yes, well, she isn't a Death Eater, but she is the wife of one. She got the formula from a contact she said, and it worked."

Grindelwald lost interest in the new mark. His focus, instead, was elsewhere. "So, the Death Eaters do not answer to anyone," he said, more to himself. "Pius, I require a meeting with these Death Eater friends of yours."

"I beg your pardon, Master, but I can assure you that they will not agree; they do not want a new master."

Gellert smiled. "And I do not need a group of Death Eaters permanently. I simply wish to negotiate some terms. Can you tell them, Pius?"

"Sure," said Pius.

"Very good, then I look forward to this meeting. Oh and Pius, you will never lie to me again."

"Of course, master."

 **Narcissa Malfoy – The Past**

 **December 24, 1999**

Narcissa's shoes echoed down the empty corridor that lead to Healer Martus' office. She had assumed that the hospital would have been crowded, regardless of the late hour, but Healer Martus had assured her that it would be empty and he made good on his word. Still, she kept her hood up for good measure.

"Madam Malfoy," he said quietly, nodding to her.

"I trust everything is in order?" she asked him.

"As planned," he responded. "Your Imperius Charm better not be faulty."

"I do not question your work, Healer Martus; do not question mine."

"She is not the best as I have warned," Healer Martus continued.

"But she is capable?"

He nodded. "She is the nurse who has assisted me in every Dark Mark removal. Other than an actual Healer, she is the next best thing."

"Very well." Narcissa handed him a pouch.

"It feels light," he frowned.

"That's twenty-five galleons in there," she told him. "You'll receive another twenty-five when the nurse arrives, and the final twenty-five when all the work is completed."

"That wasn't the agreement."

"The agreement was that I would pay you seventy-five galleons, nothing more. Are you not confident in this plan?"

"I am most confident."

"Well, then I suggest you stop worrying about your money. Happy Christmas, Healer Martus." With that said, Narcissa turned and slipped away before anyone could notice her.

* * *

 **Author's notes:** Hello hello! So I decided to read my fic the other day from this site and I noticed so many errors! It's frustrating because on the edited copy that my beta and I have worked on, there aren't the same errors.. (things like spacing and what not) It really frustrated me so I am working on fixing that, but between doing that and my work and mommy duties, there doesn't leave much time to type! So I'll work on both so that you all keep getting your chapters, but I can amend all the BS that's happening on here as well!

So this chapter.. I thought the name of the chapter to be quite fitting as we are trying to determine where many characters heads are at, such as Malfoy and Kingsley. Coming up, we are going to have some Death Eater interaction as we need to learn what's going on with them, as well as what Grindelwald wants with them. XxBloodheiRxX, you are going to get your wish and see some Nott and Blaise interaction!

Keep on reviewing - see you all soon!


	58. The Side on Which He Lies

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

* * *

 **Chapter Fifty-Eight: The Side on Which He Lies**

 **Blaise Zambini – Present Day**

 **February 10, 2001**

Blaise sat on his usual rock at what they referred to as _Death Eaters Lair_ , stroking his girlfriends hair, who was sitting on his knee. He was listening to Gregory Goyle tell the tale of how he tortured a muggle for what was probably the sixth time.

"And then he wet himself," Blaise finished for him. "How many times are you going to tell the same story?"

"It was a good one," replied Gregory, frowning.

"It's your _only_ one," giggled Pansy, as she snuggled in closer to Blaise.

"Shut up, no it's not!"

"Easy, Greg," said Blaise, very territorial. "Oi, what's up with you, Vince?" he asked, looking over at a frowning Vincent Crabbe.

"Don't tell me you're still on about Malfoy," grumbled Theodore Nott.

"But what if he _can_ save our fathers?"

"Then he would have already broken Lucius out, wouldn't he?" stated Gregory.

"He said he needed help," replied Vincent.

"You can't trust him," said Theodore plainly. "He's only freaking out because of his upcoming Ritual Knot."

"Draco is going through a Ritual Knot?" asked Pansy.

"Didn't you know, Pansy? You've missed your chance!" cackled Vincent.

"Hey, cut it out!" yelled Blaise. "Pansy has no interest in that mudblood lover. Besides, you all know we are getting married."

"I didn't," answered Gregory truthfully.

"Of course we are!" replied Blaise. "We've got to keep the blood pure, don't we? There isn't much left of us anymore."

"But Draco can help-"

"Draco can't help, Vince! And even if he could, are _you_ planning on bedding one of our Dads?"

The whole lair burst out in laughter. "Just leave the boy to me; I'll take care of him," said Fenrir Greyback, once the laughter died down.

"We can't touch Draco, on Narcissa's orders," replied Blaise.

"Why do we listen to what _she_ says?" whined Pansy.

"Because she's the reason we have this," replied Blaise, running his fingers over Pansy's left forearm.

"And we don't harm our own," added Theodore. "Draco may not be one of us now, but the Malfoys were a very big part in the Dark Lord's plan."

"Sorry I'm late," panted Pius, as he came rushing into the lair.

"Got caught up washing Grindelwald's ass, did you?" asked Blaise. The lair erupted in laughter again.

"I, uh, actually have a message from Grindelwald," responded Pius nervously.

"Oh yeah?" asked Theodore, grabbing a nearby apple and taking a large bite. "What's that?"

"He wants to meet with us Death Eaters."

" _Us_ , Pius?" questioned Crabbe.

"You know my loyalty lies with you!" screeched Pius.

"Relax," said Theodore. "What does he want to meet about?"

"He said he wanted to talk about some terms."

"Terms!" laughed Blaise. "What terms? He's a nobody compared to us! Let's just remove this guy already!"

"We need to be smarter than the rest, Blaise," said Theodore. "With him around, it keeps the attention off of us."

"Who cares, Theo! We are Death Eaters! Our time of hiding is over!"

"So we can end up like our fathers, then?" Theodore retaliated. "We do what we do, but we stay under the radar. I don't know about you, but I like this lair way better than a cell in Azkaban."

"Afraid of Potter and his friends?" questioned Pansy.

"Don't underestimate Potter," replied Theodore. "He's a lucky prat, I'll give him that, but he has a lot on his side that he can use against us."

"We are going to let one boy dictate what we do?" asked Fenrir with disgust.

"He isn't just one boy though, is he? He has the Order and the Ministry on his side. Don't worry, Potter _will_ get what's coming, but we are going to be smart about it," responded Theodore. "But anyway, I'm curious to hear what Grindelwald has to say."

"You want to go?" asked Blaise.

Theodore shrugged. "Why not? He obviously needs us; we can use that to our advantage."

"Well, he's not coming here!" said Blaise at once. "Pius, I swear if you told him…"

"I didn't! I never would! He wants us to meet him at the old shack by his mansion."

"And how are we to get there?" asked Gregory.

"With this," answered Pius, pulling out a rusty old key. "It's a portkey that will take us right there; the Order won't see us coming or leaving."

"I'll go with Theo," said Blaise, getting up and walking towards the portkey. "The rest of you stay here."

"You don't make the rules here, Blaise; I'm going too," said Vincent, as he reached for the portkey in Pius' hand, along with Theodore and Blaise.

 **Vincent Crabbe – Present Day**

 **February 10, 2001**

Vincent felt himself land hard next to Blaise and Theodore, inside a small shack. In front of them sat none other than the infamous Gellert Grindelwald.

"Welcome gentleman!" said Grindelwald, with a huge grin. "Thank you for coming! We will not be detected here, so please, sit, and make yourselves comfortable!"

"How come the Order doesn't know about this place?" questioned Blaise, hesitant to sit down.

"Ah, but they do! However, they also know that I have a safe house just past here, so they tend to monitor that location only. Not very intelligent if you ask me," he added with a shrug.

"So, Thicknesse said you wanted to talk terms?" asked Theodore, getting straight to the point.

"Yes, Pius here has been quite helpful to me. I understand his loyalty is of course to your cause, but his assistance to mine has not gone unnoticed."

"Cut the flattery, Grindelwald," said Blaise. "We don't need anything form you so there aren't terms to discuss. You need us for something; so tell us what it is and we'll tell you what the terms are if we like what we hear."

Grindelwald smiled. "Blaise, isn't it? I've heard of your father; good man. How would you like to see him again?"

"My father is dead," Blaise said emotionlessly.

"Your father is not _dead_ , Blaise; he is in Nurmengard."

"You've always said that your father was dead," said Vincent, thinking back on the story of Blaise's mother. Everyone that knew the Zambini's knew that Blaise's mother had been married seven times, and all seven of her husbands had died, leaving her vast amounts of gold each time.

"That's because he is."

"I can assure you that he is fine and well in Nurmengard; I've spoken to him a few times while I was imprisoned there."

"You did not ask us here to speak of Blaise's father, so what is it that you want?" asked Theodore.

"Well, Mister Nott, as you are clearly aware, I do require something of the Death Eaters, but do not dare ask for it without returning the favor."

"Well?"

"I require the Deathly Hallows," he said plainly. "To make a long story short, yes they are real, and Harry Potter has them. I need you to get them for me. Do this for me and all of your relatives will be free of their imprisonment in Azkaban. And in your case, Blaise, Nurmengard."

"You don't have the means of doing that," said Theodore. "If you did, you would have released your allies already."

"I see you do not know much of my history, Mister Nott. I have no allies, and prefer it that way. What I _do_ have is a way for all of them to escape."

"We already have a means of freeing them," said Vincent.

"Do you, Mister Crabbe? Well, I do hope that you are successful. Of course, you cannot be certain that your plan will work, whereas I can guarantee their freedom."

"How could you be so sure?" asked Vincent.

"Because I've done it," replied Grindelwald plainly. "As far as I am aware, only Sirius Black and myself have ever done it, and since Sirius Black is dead, I would say that I was your best option."

"So, let me get this straight," said Theodore. "If we bring you these Hallows, you'll free all of our families from Azkaban."

"That is correct," replied Grindelwald.

"Why don't you get the Hallows yourself?" asked Blaise.

"Well, as I stated, I do not have allies. Although I prefer it, it does come with a slight disadvantage."

"Yeah, and we put our neck on the line for you. No thanks, we already have a way," said Vincent.

"But we put our neck on the line either way, Vince," said Theodore, in deep thought. "If we agree, I want incentive."

"Theo!" said Vincent, but Blaise interjected.

"I'm with Theo; why should we trust you?"

"How about this, then: you bring me _one_ of the three, whichever one you'd like, and I will release Blaise's father as proof that I can succeed in doing this."

"Release him first," said Blaise, still not convinced that his father was even alive.

"Gentlemen, the more I do this, the harder it will be to release anyone; security will get much tighter after each break out."

"See, he can't do it – let's go," said Vincent, standing to leave.

"I did not say that I couldn't do it, Mister Crabbe, I simply said it will become more work for me. How about this, you bring me one Hallow, and free three people of your choosing from Azkaban?"

"What about Blaise's father?" asked Theodore.

"That's a different prison; I cannot agree to both for just one Hallow."

"So what will happen after the third Hallow, then?" questioned Blaise. "If it's only three people per Hallow, then we only get nine released in total."

Grindelwald smiled. "If you successfully deliver all three Hallows to me, then every person you want released will be released, _from any prison_."

Before anyone else could say anything, Theodore ended the conversation. "You've set your terms and we've countered. If we are interested, you'll know." With that, Theodore turned to Pius and grabbed the portkey. The rest of the Death Eaters followed suit, and soon they were all back in their lair.

"Well?" asked Pansy, running over to Blaise. It didn't take long for the Death Eaters to find out what had happened, and soon everyone was lost in thought.

"Having my father back would make my mother so happy," Pansy finally said.

"Mine too," added Theodore.

"Come on guys, he's lying!" whined Vincent. "Draco said-"

"Draco said he needed our help to release them, Vince. Why should we put our necks on the line when we have someone else willing to do it?" interrupted Blaise.

"But how would we even get the Hallows?" asked Pansy.

"We all know Potter has that cloak," said Pius.

"Is that _the_ invisibility cloak?" asked Theodore.

Pius nodded. "He says that it is and he knows his stuff."

Theodore shrugged. "So, let Draco bring it to us."

"Theo, we are actually doing this?" questioned Vincent.

"We haven't agreed to anything, Vince. But Draco wants in doesn't he? So let this be his test. If he gets it, then we have an Invisibility Cloak to do whatever we want with."

"What about our fathers?" asked Pansy.

"We hear what Draco's plan is. If we like it, we keep the cloak and free our relatives ourselves. If we don't like it, we give the cloak to Grindelwald and make him do it."

"Theo's right," said Blaise. "We don't need to decide now. Vince, tell Draco this is his test, but _don't_ mention anything else."

"Okay."

"He is just to know that he has to steal the cloak, Vince, _nothing else_."

"I got it, Blaise!"

"What do I say to Grindelwald?" asked Pius.

"That we haven't made a decision yet; he doesn't need to know our business," answered Theodore. Pius nodded and left and Vincent followed suit; it was up to him to get Draco to get the cloak.

 **Draco Malfoy – Present Day**

 **February 10, 2001**

Draco was surprised when he had received Vincent's galleon message, but relieved all the same. He waited impatiently for Vincent to show up at his manor, where they agreed to meet.

"Malfoy," said Vincent, as he walked through the gate.

"Hey," said Malfoy, excited to see his old friend. "So, everyone on board then? I think we should do it soon. If we cause a big enough distraction-"

"Draco, you aren't in."

"What do you mean?"

"You have to do something first."

"What?"

"Steal from Potter."

"What?" Draco shook his head. "This is ridiculous, Crabbe."

"Malfoy, nobody trusts you! You need to prove you're on the right side!"

"I _am_ on the right side!"

"You picked the Mudblood over us!"

"Crabbe, I am marrying a Greengrass, not Granger!"

"Still," said Vincent, folding his arms. "You need to do this or you aren't allowed back."

"Okay, then none of you will ever see your family again."

"yes we will, we have a plan."

"What plan?"

"I can't tell you."

"Crabbe, this is foolish!"

"No, Malfoy! Stop and listen! You aren't in charge anymore!" yelled Vincent. "You need us to free your dad, not the other way around! So you do this or your father dies!"

Draco felt defeated. He knew that Vincent was right and he started to panic. "What do I have to do?" he said quietly.

"Steal Potter's Invisibility Cloak."

"Why?"

"No questions, Malfoy! Will you do it or not?"

Draco nodded. "Okay, but I'll need some time."

"Whatever," he responded, as he turned to leave. "Just remember, the longer you take, the higher the chances of your father dying."

 **Curtis Greengrass – The Past**

 **May 9, 1998**

"I don't know, Curtis," said Melanie Greengrass, to her husband. "The Dark Lord has just fallen…"

"And he is not returning. It is time we take our daughter's futures seriously."

"But we have! Daphne is marrying into a family of the Sacred Twenty-Eight."

"And Astoria?"

"Curtis, as much as I want the very best for her, she is frail…"

"She is not frail!"

"But she will be! I don't like it either, Curtis, but the curse will kill her and she will never bear an heir!"

"We are the only ones who know that, Melanie, and we can't allow that to ever get out! We are one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, if anyone ever finds out that a hereditary curse was put on our ancestors…"

Melanie sighed. "I understand, Curtis. But the Malfoys?"

"Lucius is in prison and I've done some digging; he was the one that had disappointed the Dark Lord, not Narcissa."

"But how does young Draco not have a Ritual Knot already? _All_ the Sacred Twenty-Eight heirs have one from the moment they are born!"

"He did have one, dear, but it was with Pansy Parkinson, and now the Parkinson's do not wish to go through with it since Lucius' disgrace!"

"You mean, they hadn't actually had the Ritual done yet?" gasped Melanie.

"No!"

"But usually it's done as soon as the children can talk!"

"Yes, well, I guess the Malfoys didn't worry too much about it. They had the word of the Parkinson's and that seemed to be enough. Usually, people do not take back a marriage agreement from a family of the Sacred Twenty-Eight." When Melanie didn't reply, Curtis pushed harder. "Astoria _needs_ this, Melanie."

"I don't know, Curtis. What if they question why Astoria doesn't already have a Ritual Knot?"

"I told her that she was promised to a son of a family who died during the war."

"But who? Won't she ask questions?"

Curtis shook his head. "Narcissa has run out of options for her son. This marriage agreement to Astoria is her only way to secure the Malfoy bloodline remains pure; it's what we both need!"

Melanie sighed. "Oh, alright then, Curtis. Let's do it. Astoria is not going to be happy, though."

"Astoria is the daughter of a Sacred Twenty-Eight; she does not have a choice. Come along, Narcissa will be here shortly."

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** So, we are starting to see some new perspectives! I hope you all enjoy seeing the Death Eaters POVS (don't worry, Harry and crew will still be in this story!) The title of this chapter refers to Draco.. He basically needs to pick a side at this point so let's see what he does.. Harry's going to come across some hard times soon as well, so keep your eye out for that!

To respond to a review about Draco's plan for Lucius.. I'm keeping the details quiet on purpose - I can't reveal everything at once, where is the fun in that?!

Thanks to everyone as always and for your patience, the laptop is STILL not fixed (haven't even been able to do my freaking taxes!) I'm trying guys, thanks for sticking with me!


	59. A New Era of Horcruxes

_JK Rowling ended her story "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" at the end of the second war with Voldemort. She then followed up with an epilogue entitled "19 Years Later". This is the story of those 19 years in between. Please note that the information provided by "The Cursed Child" will **not** be taken into account for this fanfiction._

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

* * *

 **Chapter Fifty-Nine: A New Era of Horcruxes**

 **Harry Potter – Present Day**

 **February 17, 2001**

"Malfoy!" Harry said surprised, as he opened the door to his flat to see the pale-haired Slytherin standing there.

"Hey Potter," said Malfoy, letting himself in. "Sorry to just show up here, but it was important. Are we alone?"

Harry nodded. "Ginny is on shift for the Order right now; I was actually about to leave to start my own."

"Potter, I need a favor."

"What is it?"

Harry watched Draco hesitate. "Harry, I-I need to see her."

"I won't put her in danger, Malfoy."

"I'm not asking you to! Nobody will know that she's here and that won't break the vow with my mother. Please, Potter, I need to see her."

"I'm sorry, Malfoy, truly, but I can't. Not only because of that ridiculous agreement with your mother, but because she is wanted by the Ministry as well. I just can't put her in that kind of danger."

Malfoy sighed. "I understand. Could you maybe give her a letter for me?" When Harry nodded, Malfoy smiled. "Thanks, do you, uh, have some parchment?" Harry got a quill and some parchment and handed it over to Malfoy, then stood a few steps away waiting for the letter. "Potter, I, uh, might be awhile."

"Fine," Harry said, after a moment "Just leave the letter under here," he said, pointing to an ugly planter that Ginny demanded be put in their dining room. "I'll pick it up later and give it to Hermione."

"Thanks," said Draco, as he started writing. "And don't you read this either!"

"Trust me, I have no intentions!" Harry left Draco alone in his flat and headed off to St. Mungo's, where he was to relieve Neville of his shift.

"Hey, Harry," said Neville, panting as he met him at the front entrance of the hospital.

"What's wrong, Neville?"

"Two wizards have been brought in, both dead. Umbridge and a bunch of other Ministry officials are here; I think it was a murder."

"Stay on watch; who else is here?"

"Luna is upstairs."

"Galleon for back up; I want this place guarded." Harry quickly made his way to where he knew they kept the newly deceased, and was surprised to see Kingsley standing next to Umbridge and Yaxley.

"Minister," said Harry, joining the group. "Yaxley, Dolores. Why wasn't I owled immediately?"

"We were in the process of doing so, Mr. Potter," said Yaxley professionally, though Harry knew that it wasn't true.

"What happened?" Harry asked.

"Funny, we were about to ask you the same thing," said Umbridge.

"They were found like this, just north of Bristol," answered Yaxley.

Harry studied the situation for a moment. Lately, there have been killings all over the place, yet the Minister of Magic had never shown up to view those bodies. "Forgive me, Minister, but what are so special about these two wizards that required a visit from you?"

Harry thought Kingsley was going to lash out by the look on his face, but he must have had a change of heart, as instead he said, "look at their chests."

Harry made his way to the bodies and noticed that both wizards had large, black, gaping holes right where their hearts should have been. "What kind of spell can do that?" Harry asked the group.

"Well, you should ask Granger, shouldn't you? She seems to be the expert on this topic," replied Umbridge. "Harboring a fugitive _and_ a murderer, Potter. We really should be bringing _you_ in!"

Harry caught Kingsley's eye, and silently asked the Minister the question that he was dreading to ask. "The only spell that could cause damage like this, Mister Potter, is the spell that is used to create a horcrux."

Harry felt his stomach drop. So, the wizarding world had started to create the army that he feared they would, and there was already two horcruxes out there that Harry was now going to have to hunt.

 **Draco Malfoy – Present Day**

 **February 21, 2001**

"This better be worth my time, Malfoy," said Blaise, as he forced his way into Malfoy Manor, along with Theodore and Vincent.

"I was told to get something, wasn't I?" said Draco rudely, not happy with what he had done.

"You have the cloak?" asked Vincent, shocked.

"Of course I do," said Draco, folding his arms.

"Well, where is it?" asked Blaise.

"You'll get it, once I know you'll help me."

"This is a waste, let's just kill him and go," said Blaise, turning to leave.

"You kill me and you'll never find it," said Draco, keeping his eye on Theodore. He knew that Theo was the smarter one of the bunch.

"Let's handle this like men, shall we?" asked Theo, sitting down on a nearby couch. "Draco, you have a plan to release our fathers?"

"I plan on blasting out one of the walls at Azkaban. It's what the Dark Lord did when he freed the Death Eaters."

"Yeah, but he had the Dementors on his side! If we try that, the Dementors will kiss all of us and our fathers," said Blaise.

"We can use the cloak to stay hidden," said Vincent.

"Dementors can't see, stupid!" said Blaise. "The cloak won't hide you from them; they sense you."

"We can make it work," said Draco, desperate to save his father.

"Sorry, Draco, but I'm not interested in risking my life or my fathers," said Theodore. "I'm going to go with our other plan, but I'll need that cloak."

"What other plan? Let me help!" Draco pleaded desperately.

"We don't need your help," spat Blaise.

"Then you aren't getting the cloak."

"Draco," sighed Theo. "We need that cloak, mate. We can get all of our fathers out; you need to trust us."

"I'll give you the cloak if I get certainty that my father is the first to come out."

"Fine," said Theo.

"Great, then Blaise can conduct our unbreakable vow."

"Vow for what?" questioned Blaise.

"You don't really think I'm going to hand over the cloak just on your word, do you?"

Draco watched Theo contemplate. "Fine," he finally said.

"What? Theo, no!" shouted Blaise.

"It's fine," responded Theo. "They are all being released anyway, so there is no harm in releasing Lucius first."

"But that only leaves two for the first round," whispered Vincent, loud enough for Draco to hear.

"The release is happening in sections?" Draco asked.

Both Theo and Blaise gave Vincent a horrible look. "Yes, the first break out will be three prisoners from Azkaban and one of those three will be your father. I will agree to the vow," Theo sighed "but on my terms. Lucius will be released among the first three, only if the escape is successful, and you must assist with the remaining break out attempts without any other conditions. Are we in agreement?"

Draco nodded. He knew what he was risking, but he had already gone as far as to steal Potter's cloak, he may as well continue down this path and save his father. Blaise had quickly casted the Unbreakable Vow ritual on Draco and Theo, and then Draco went and handed the cloak to Theo. "So, when is this happening?"

"Soon I would think," said Theo. "We will send word when it's time. Do not tell anyone!"

Draco nodded, and lead them out of his Manor. He took a deep breath and exhaled; with any luck, he may have his father to speak to very soon.

 **Hermione Granger – Present Day**

 **February 28, 2001**

 _Hermione,_

 _It kills me to not be with you right now. I know that you trust Potter and I know that he will keep you safe, but it doesn't change how worried I am. I will solve this thing with my mother and I promise you that I will get out of this ritual knot with Astoria. We have been through worse and yet we always find our way back to each other. I have done some horrible things lately, but I feel like I've had no choice. I know that you'll understand one day and when all this is over, we will be together._

 _Draco_

 _P.S. Destroy this letter._

Hermione read the letter that Harry had given her for probably the hundredth time. She frowned at the part where he stated that he had done some horrible things; what exactly could he have done that was so horrible? She knew that she needed to destroy the letter for both of their safety, but she wasn't able to just yet. There was something different about the way Draco had written it, and if Harry hadn't sworn that it was from Draco, then Hermione would have been certain that this was from an imposter.

"Still obsessing over that letter?" asked Harry, as he walked into her temporary hideout.

"It is his handwriting, I would recognize it anywhere, but it doesn't sound like him at all!"

"You could always write him back and ask. I don't mind bringing him a letter."

"Thanks, Harry, but with Draco, you need to question him I person, otherwise I am afraid he would be dishonest. Anyway, I don't know what I want to say just yet. But enough of that for now; any word on who created the horcruxes?"

Harry shook his head. "They identified the two wizards; one was just a regular wizard who frequented Diagon Alley quite often. The other one was Willaim Berth."

"William Berth?" questioned Hermione. "Isn't he the one who took over Florean Fortescue's ice cream parlor?"

Harry nodded. "They were both found in Diagon Alley near the parlor, actually; the other wizard was probably at the wrong place at the wrong time."

"What was his name?"

"Sam Wrigley, or something like that, I can't remember."

"You don't mean Wriggins, do you?"

"Yeah, that sounds familiar, actually. Why? Who is he?" Hermione didn't respond to Harry; instead, she went over to her towering pile of books and grabbed the top one. "Uh, Hermione?"

As Harry waited impatiently for Hermione to respond, Harry went over to the door and allowed Ron in, who had galleoned that he had just arrived. "What's going on?" he asked Harry, recognizing the look that Hermione had on her face.

"I think Hermione has a lead on the horcruxes, but I'm not sure because she's acting like I'm not here."

"Hermione?" Ron asked cautiously, knowing all to well that disrupting Hermione in the midst of a thought could have dire consequences.

"What?" she snapped, finally looking up at them.

"Uh, care to explain what you've figured out?"

Hermione returned to her book without responding. Finally, after what felt like hours, she yelled in triumph. "I knew it!" she squealed, pumping her fist into the air. "This makes total sense!"

"Care to explain?" Harry asked again, annoyed.

Hermione smiled. "You said that the man who died was named Wriggins, right?"

"Yeah," responded Harry. "So?"

" _So_ ," replied Hermione. "Albert Shafiq was the last male of his name, and since he only had one daughter, Annabelle, the Shafiq name ended, but the bloodline didn't."

"Shafiq is part of the Sacred Twenty-Eight," said Ron.

Hermione nodded. "Only now the Shafiq line are actually Wriggins, since Annabelle had married a man named Christopher Wriggins."

"Okay, but what does this have to do with the horcruxes?" asked a confused Harry.

"Because, Harry, Florean Fortescue's wife was named Barbara Wriggins."

"So, the two men weren't random, then," stated Harry, catching on.

"Exactly! So now we have our suspects!" Hermione said smiling.

"Hermione, you are brilliant! Come on, Ron, we need to get to the Ministry. Hopefully with this connection, we can find out who created the horcruxes and go from there."

"Find out whatever you can and let me know," Hermione told them as they headed out. "I'll see what else I can find out about the Wriggins."

 **Kingsley Shacklebolt – The Past**

 **December 9, 1999**

"Thank you, Minerva," Kinglsey said, as she left him alone in her office at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He looked around the office and took it in for probably the first time. Of course, he had been in the Headmistresses office on many occasions, under more than one Headmaster, but he never really appreciated everything that could be found within the room.

"Albus," Kingsley said quietly, staring up at the large portrait that sat directly behind the Headmistresses desk.

"Good day to you, Kingsley," replied the portrait of Albus Dumbledore, staring down at him from his half-moon spectacles.

"Albus, I need to speak with you," said Kingsley, staring only at the portrait of his oldest mentor.

"So speak," came a voice from the right.

"I was not speaking with you, Phineas," said Kingsley, staring at Albus, but speaking to the portrait that belonged to one of Hogwarts least popular Headmasters.

"Well, naturally, Mister Shacklebolt, you are speaking to all of us," said the portrait of Dilys Derwent.

"Perhaps," replied Kinglsey. "But it is the advise of Albus Dumbledore that I need."

"You do realize that _the_ Albus Dumbledore is dead, right?" chuckled Phineas Nigellus.

"I do not need your humor at this time!" Kingsley said angrily.

"But he is right, Kingsley," said Everard, "as I told you before. Anyone in a portrait, including Albus, are simply imprints of the person they used to be. They may have the memories of their previous selves, but they are simply that; a memory."

"And as I said to you, Everard, it is Albus' memory that I require!"

"How can I help you, Kingsley?" Dumbledore asked quietly.

"Albus, Grindelwald is back!"

"So I have heard," replied the portrait of Albus Dumbledore.

"How?" asked Kingsley.

"Not very intelligent this one, is he?" laughed Fortescue. "We can travel to our other portrait locations and as such, know what is going on in the world."

"Albus, the Ministry cannot fall again; you and I both know this," Kingsley said to Dumbledore, ignoring the other portraits.

"I do agree, Kingsley. Luckily, you are the Minister of Magic and a member of the Order of the Phoenix. It seems to me that based on that, the Ministry will not fall. Unless of course, that there is something that you aren't telling us."

"Of course not!" said Kingsley. "But anything can happen! Should I be murdered, we need a plan! I am sure that the Ministry is being infiltrated as we speak!"

"And yet you are here, speaking to a bunch of portraits instead of protecting the country! Everard, go to your other portrait and find a better candidate for Minister, will you?"

"Oh, cut it out, Phineas! If the current Minister needs our help, then we will do our best to help him. Albus, any suggestions?" asked Dilys.

"I am not Minister, my dear Dilys; these decisions are not up to me."

"Albus, this is getting ridiculous. Just tell the man what he needs to know so he can leave. He is clearly incompetent and can't figure it out for himself," came the low voice of Severus Snape's portrait.

The portrait of Albus Dumbledore sighed. "Your focus needs to be on the safety of your country, Kingsley. If you do that, then you should succeed."

"And should I fall?"

"Then you should have a successor already appointed," responded Dumbledore plainly.

"Albus, you can fix this. Why are you not providing me with the knowledge that I need?" Kingsley shouted angrily.

"Albus was never one to share his secrets," Fortescue chuckled.

"Well, that is the truth!" agreed Everard.

"It is not wise for others to know what you know," said Albus. "I believe there is an old muggle saying, don't show all your cards at once."

"And why not share what you know now then, when we have the privacy to discuss it all!"

"Privacy? There are hundreds of portraits on this wall," Dumbledore said calmly.

"Give it up, Shacklebolt, he only spills his secrets to Potter," came the voice of Phineas Nigellus.

"Potter, it's always about Potter," mumbled Kingsley.

"Harry Potter is the one you should be speaking to, Kingsley," said Albus, with a stern look on his face. "Do not make the same mistake that almost every man has made; do not underestimate Harry. Now if you'll excuse me, I believe I will visit my other portrait." Before Kingsley could say anything else, Albus Dumbledore turned to his left and walked out the side of his portrait and disappeared.

"Trust the boy," said Snape, before he, too, turned and left.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Hello everyone! I know that it has been a very long time. I won't go into much details but I will say that there has been a lot going on and that is the reason that there has been a long absence. I sincerely apologize but it is what it is. I do mean what I have said many times, which is that I am 100% committed to this story. It may take longer than I would have liked, but it will be seen through until the end.

Now, onto the story! There's a big scene coming up that is going to change the direction of this story quite a bit. I read some of my most recent reviews and just to comment a bit: Daisy is not the woman in the heels working with Grindelwald. Also, Hermione is a very intelligent witch; I am not sure what you were referring to when you stated that she was not, but if you meant to the scene with Dennis Creevey, the reason there was chaos was because of the rules of Number Twelve Grimmauld Place. Because the house is hidden, they could not have a line formed outside of the house. Instead, everyone had to wait in the entrance (which we all know isn't very large) and receive their secrecy charms before they could enter. Hermione was trying to organize as best as she could, with the help of others, but if you remember when Hermione tried to get the attention of the DA in OOTP, she is very soft spoken and sometimes cannot be heard. Finally, I obviously needed to create a loophole for Dennis to be able to pass on information to Grindelwald for my story to continue.

I hope you all can understand my position, and I look forward to continuing my story with all of you!


	60. The Return of the Old Beaded Bag

_JK Rowling ended her story "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" at the end of the second war with Voldemort. She then followed up with an epilogue entitled "19 Years Later". This is the story of those 19 years in between. Please note that the information provided by "The Cursed Child" will **not** be taken into account for this fanfiction._

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

* * *

 **Chapter Sixty: The Return of the Old Beaded Bag**

 **Ron Weasley – Present Day**

 **February 28, 2001**

Harry and Ron arrived at the Ministry of Magic, eager to explain to Kingsley what Hermione had discovered. With the help of the Aurors, they should be able to track down the killer and from there, hopefully, track down and destroy the two horcruxes.

"Minister," said Harry, as he reached Kingsley's office. Kingsley was standing outside of his office, with his door open, and about to enter when Harry and Ron had approached him.

"Mister Potter, Mister Weasley, might we meet a little later? I have business at the moment with-"

But Ron had cut him off. "This is urgent, Minister!" he said frantically. "Hermione made a connection between the two men who were murdered; we might be able to find out who the murderer is!"

"Miss Granger made the connection, did you say?" came the voice of Dolores Umbridge, stepping into view with a large grin on her face. Clearly, the person that Kingsley had business with was Umbridge, and she had been standing inside of his office. "Might I remind you, Mister Weasley, that Miss Granger is a fugitive and anyone with knowledge of her whereabouts who does not inform the Ministry is just as guilty as she is, especially two members of the Dobwig Association."

"We received an owl from her," Harry lied quickly. "We have no idea where she is."

"Very well then, Mister Potter. Please provide me with the letter that you've received," responded Umbridge.

"I've burnt it," Harry said plainly.

"You've burnt it?" Umbridge repeated. "Well, I'm afraid that is considered tampering with evidence and is also a crime. Don't worry, gentlemen, I know we can work this out," she said sweetly, behind her ugly frog-like grimace. "You will of course have to wait in Azkaban for your hearing, but I believe there is an opening in about three months from now."

Ron looked at Harry. "She can't put us in Azkaban," he said slowly.

"Oh, but I can, Mister Weasley," she said happily. "And it's about time, too."

Ron watched Umbridge raise her wand, but felt Harry tug on his arm quickly. "Run!" Harry yelled. Harry and Ron took off down the hall and to a nearby staircase, while Umbridge yelled behind them and started to send orders for the Ministry of Magic to be sealed.

"Harry, what do we do?" panted Ron, as he followed Harry down another flight of stairs.

"Just follow me and keep up!" Harry yelled back, as he lead them to the Dobwig Association, and locked the door behind them.

"This will be the first place they look!" said Ron.

"If they know where to look," responded Harry, leading them to his office. "Hermione and I had this place installed; you never know when you'll need a hideout." Harry opened what appeared to be a solid wall, and inside was a small little room, with a tiny box in the corner. "Get in, hurry up!" The two of them entered the small room and closed the hidden door, just before Umbridge, Kingsley, Yaxley, and two Aurors appeared.

"I told you that they wouldn't be here," came Kingsley's voice.

"Well, they are in the Ministry," responded Umbridge. "And they are not getting away this time; come on!" Harry and Ron stayed quiet, long after Umbridge and her associates left, to ensure that they didn't get caught.

"What is this?" Ron finally asked Harry, but still careful to keep his voice down.

"Remember the vanishing cabinet that Malfoy used in sixth year?" Harry asked, as he was reaching into the little box and pulling out a galleon.

"Yeah," said Ron, as he watched Harry message someone.

"Well, this is it. Hermione and I thought it would be good to have a getaway in case we ever needed it."

"And you didn't think to tell me?" Ron asked angrily.

"Seriously, Ron, now is not the time. Come on, we have to go."

"Who did you galleon?" Ron asked, annoyed with the secrets that Harry and Hermione always seemed to share.

"Hermione," Harry responded truthfully. "It's not my usual galleon; we've got one hidden here and have encrypted it so that nobody would be able to intercept it. Come on, let's go," Harry said, before Ron could ask anything else. Together, Harry and Ron vanished from their cabinet inside the Dobwig Association, and arrived inside of the cabinet's pair, at a location that Ron was unaware of. "Hello?" Harry asked hesitantly, as he pushed open the door.

"Potter! What the bloody hell is going on?" came a familiar voice.

"Aberforth?" asked Ron, recognizing the wizard that lived in the house where they just arrived at.

"I thought this was only to be used in an emergency!" asked Aberforth angrily, as he started to clean up dirt from an overturned plant. Clearly, Aberforth had his cabinet well hidden by plants, and was not expecting it to be used.

"This is urgent," Harry responded. He quickly filled Aberforth in, and then headed for the door. "Thanks for your help, Aberforth," Harry said. "Be sure to keep that hidden; we may need it again."

Ron followed Harry to the front door, and into the alley at Hogsmeade, where Aberforth's front door lead to. "What now?" whispered Ron.

"Now, we go and get Hermione," Harry responded. "And then I guess we run."

 **Harry Potter – Present Day**

 **February 28, 2001**

Harry and Ron apparated just outside of number twelve, Grimmauld Place, and entered into a house full of commotion.

"Potter, Weasley, what is going on?"

"There are rumors that you are wanted by the Ministry!"

"What happened?"

"How did you get out?"

"We don't have much time," said Harry, rushing to do what needed to be done. "Remus, please keep the Order going; we will be in touch when we can," he said, looking at Remus and accepting his nod. He then ran upstairs and grabbed Hermione, who was already packed. "My message worked then?" he asked her, seeing her hold the beaded bag that she had used in the past to hold all of their belongings.

Hermione nodded. "I've kept the extendable charm on it, in case we've ever needed it. The only thing I don't have is your cloak."

Harry frowned. "Well, it is what it is, I suppose," he said. "Come on, we need to go." The pair of them made their way downstairs to where a confused Ron was waiting. Harry turned and looked at Ginny.

"I'm coming with you, and I am not hearing a word against it," she said sternly.

"You can't," he sighed, grabbing her hands. "Ginny, do you trust me?" he asked her.

"Of course, but that isn't stopping me from going with you."

"Listen," he told her, pulling her out of ear shot from everyone else. "I need you to go to our flat and get my cloak. You are going to be watched so please be extra careful. Then tomorrow, meet me at the bakery outside of Grindelwald's hideout. Make it look like you're on watch for the Order and once I know the coast is clear, I'll show myself, okay?"

"Fine," she responded. "But then I'm coming with you."

"Ginny, I need you here."

"No, Harry!"

Before Harry could respond, he heard his name being called. "Harry," came the voice of Kingsley Shacklebolt.

"Here to turn us in?" Harry asked angrily, already drawing his wand.

"Harry, I am the Minister of Magic and therefore must do things that you often do not like," he responded, but kept his wand within his robes. "But whether you have noticed or not, I am on your side. I told the Aurors that I was heading to the Order of the Phoenix Headquarters to see if you are here. I will of course tell them that you are not here, but you need to leave. I don't know how long I can keep them from demanding entry to here."

"We should move Headquarters," said Remus.

"Yes, but make it look like we haven't," responded Kingsley. "Otherwise it will be suspicious. Harry, you, Hermione, and Ron need to go. We will do everything we can to help you, but for now-"

"We are on the run, yeah," Harry finished for him.

"Apparate under your cloak."

"My cloak is at my flat," Harry responded.

"You mustn't go and get it," said Minerva. "It is too risky."

"I have a plan for it to come to me," Harry said, without making any eye contact with Ginny.

"Well, how're ya going ter leave now?" Hagrid asked.

Hermione pulled out a bottle of Polyjuice potion. "Can three of you lend us some hair?" she asked. It did not take long to prepare the potion with the appropriate hair, and soon there were two Remus', Tonks, and Seamus' standing in the room.

"We will be well hidden," Harry said, while Hermione and Ron nodded in agreement. "We've done this before," he added weakly. "We will be in touch; everyone stay safe and do not contact us; we will contact you." It was an emotional few moments as everyone was saying bye, and Harry was quite thankful that Molly was back at the Burrow and not present for this. Nobody was happy with the decision, but for the time-being, they knew this was the only option.

"You need to go now," said Kingsley.

Harry, who currently looked like Remus, nodded, then turned to Ginny. "I'll see you then," he said, careful not to mention when and where. He then turned to Hermione (who looked like Tonks), and Ron (who looked like Seamus). "The Forest of Dean?" he whispered, carefully so only the two of them could hear him. The pair nodded and one by one, walked out of Headquarters and apparated to the forest. Harry was last to arrive, and as soon as he did, Hermione, Ron, and Harry started casting the all too familiar protection charms to keep them hidden. Once completed, Hermione sat in a corner and opened up one of her books. Ron set up the tent and went inside, not speaking to either of them. Harry sat on the edge of the perimeter, stating that he would keep first watch. He couldn't believe that this was where he had found himself again, and he had no idea what he was going to do.

 **Jessica Ferguson – Present Day**

 **February 28, 2001**

Jessica anxiously paced back and forth in the Lovegood's sitting room. She was finally meeting Neville's grandmother, and although she knew exactly what she was going to do, it didn't change the fact that she was slightly nervous.

"Hi," came Neville's nervous voice, as he entered the room. Jessica nodded but said nothing, instead choosing to sit down and face the only other couch in the room, where she assumed Neville and his grandmother would sit. It took a few moments before Neville's grandmother appeared, out of breath and clearly annoyed.

"Such a ridiculous layout," said Augusta Longbottom, as she finally reached the circular sitting room and took a seat on the couch. "We will have to make better arrangements in the future," she said, looking directly at Jessica. "Now then, where is my great-granddaughter?" she asked bluntly.

"She isn't here," Jessica said.

"Well, I can see that! I have come to see her, so, where is she?"

"I wanted to speak with you first," Jessica said, looking directly at Neville's grandmother.

"Well then, speak! I am not getting any younger!"

"Amelia is Neville's daughter and I have agreed to allow him to see her, but I have some rules first."

"What nonsense is this?" asked Augusta angrily.

"Gran, let's just hear her out," Neville pleaded quietly.

"Very well," Augusta sighed. "Let us hear these _rules_."

Jessica took a deep breath but then spoke confidently. "Amelia does not know that she is a witch. I understand that she is one, and she will be informed, but I am the one that will tell her."

"Well, I don't bloody care who tells her!" said Augusta, rolling her eyes. "Although she should be told soon, and not surprised when she arrives at Hogwarts as the Longbottom heir and not aware of her roots!"

"She will be told this week, just before she meets Neville."

"A week? So what was the purpose of us coming today, then?"

"Gran, I'm okay with waiting a week," Neville said quietly.

"The next thing," Jessica said, moving on, "is that Amelia is known as Amelia Ferguson."

"Well, that is not something you can control!" said Augusta, knowledgeably. "Once Amelia goes to Hogwarts, she will default to Longbottom."

"I know that, and once she turns eleven, I will decide if she is going to Hogwarts. Only then will the final decision on her last name be made."

"Not go to Hogwarts!" shouted Augusta, clutching her chest. "You do realize that she is the rightful heir to the Longbottom name! She is next in line for the Sacred Twenty-Eight! Not to mention, suppressing one's magic could have dire consequences!"

"I know about the potential of becoming an Obscurus," Jessica responded, briefly remembering her conversation with Molly. "And I would not let that happen to my daughter."

"I should bloody well hope not!" said a very disgruntled Augusta.

"When the time comes, I will decide if she goes to Hogwarts or if she is home-schooled by a witch of my choosing. Until that time, Amelia will be attending a muggle school."

"Anything else?" Neville asked quietly, before his Grandmother could say anything.

"Just one more; you can visit with Amelia but only when I am present. You may be her father but the truth is I have no idea who you are and I do not trust you."

"Now you listen here," said Augusta, finally reaching her limit. "You may be the girl's mother, but my grandson is her father. I do not care what you think my grandson did but he is entitled to be a parent to her and I will damn well make sure that he has the right to be. You can put her in her silly muggle school, but at the age of eleven, she will decide if she attends Hogwarts or not, or I will fight you tooth and nail, you mark my words. And if you wish to be present at our family functions, so be it, but Amelia is going to learn all about what being a Longbottom is, and she is going to be a proud Longbottom at that! Now, come along Neville, we will return a week from today to spend a full afternoon with Amelia." Jessica said nothing as she watched Augusta leave the room. Neville looked at her briefly, but then turned and left with his grandmother without a word.

 **Sirius Black – The Past**

 **July 2, 1994**

"Reminiscing?" asked Remus, as he sat next to Sirius on the dusty old couch in the basement of number twelve Grimmauld Place.

"Yeah," chuckled Sirius, accepting the cup of ale that Remus was handing to him. "You know how much I love this place."

Remus chuckled too. "You can't honestly stay here," Remus said, looking at his old friend.

"It is the only place that I am safe," Sirius answered honestly. "I'll probably go abroad for a bit though, as Padfoot. It's been a long time since I've seen the country side."

"Sirius, look-"

But Sirius shook his head. "I don't need to hear it, Remus. I wouldn't have believed me, either."

"But I should have known, I should have asked!"

"You never would have known that Wormtail would be the one to betray James and Lily. I didn't believe it myself, even when I knew the facts! It's all forgotten, old friend; I hold no grudge."

Remus gave him a weak smile. "There is one thing, though," he started slowly.

Sirius took a large gulp of his drink. "Daisy," he said quietly.

"Daisy," Remus repeated.

Sirius didn't respond right away. Finally, he spoke. "You know that I love Daisy just as much as I love Harry, right?"

"I would hope so," answered Remus truthfully.

"But Harry was alive and Daisy wasn't even born yet; I had to protect him."

"Harry was safe though; it was Daisy that wasn't."

"Which is why I told you to get the Healers."

"Sirius, you knew there wouldn't have been enough time," Remus said.

"I know," Sirius agreed quietly, with his head in his hands. "I didn't know what to do," he answered honestly. "If Snape didn't see Lily there, I don't think Harry would have been safe."

"Snape?" asked Remus.

"Dumbledore didn't tell you?" Sirius asked, looking up at his old friend. Remus shook his head no, and Sirius swore loudly. "Snivellus was in love with Lily," Sirius told him.

" _In love_?" repeated Remus. "I knew they had a friendship at a time, but never did I think that he loved her like that."

"Well, he did, and that's the reason he came to our side," answered Sirius. "Not because he's some great wizard, but because he couldn't stand to see Lily get hurt."

"So, he knew that Voldemort was after James and Lily?"

Sirius nodded. "And if he didn't find Lily like that, then maybe he would have thought her to be alive. I didn't know that Voldemort had fallen at that point."

"So, you wouldn't let me bring Lily to a Healer so that Snape knew for sure that she was dead."

"I know it sounds horrible, Moony, but I had to protect Harry! You understand, don't you?"

"I can't say that I do in its entirety, no," said Remus truthfully. "You saw Hagrid take Harry to safety and you knew that Dumbledore had a plan. But, you have also never trusted anyone and so I can see why you wouldn't have put your faith in Dumbledore." Remus watched Sirius struggle to speak. "You are hiding something, aren't you?" Remus finally asked him.

"Not really," said Sirius. "I really was protecting Harry, but it wasn't just from Snape, it was also from my mother."

"Your mother?"

Sirius nodded. "She had intentions of killing the Potters."

"And she did," Remus told his friend. "She was the reason that James' parents died."

"I had suspected as much," responded Sirius quietly, holding back his tears.

"You need to talk to Harry," Remus said finally.

"I'll make him understand about Snape."

"He is a bright boy; he will need to know more than that."

"How can I tell him that my parents are the reason his grandparents and sister are dead?"

Remus didn't respond right away. After a while, he asked Sirius, "how did you know it was a girl?"

"Dumbledore told me," he responded. "He said that you took care of the paperwork." Remus nodded and handed Daisy's birth certificate to Sirius. Sirius read the parchment silently. "the first of November," he said after a moment. "She was born the next day?"

Remus nodded. "It took some time for me to get the Healers to Lily."

"Was she alive at all?" Sirius asked, dreading the answer. "Did Daisy take any breaths? Did she suffer? Damn it, Moony, give me the death certificate!" he yelled. "I've suffered enough!" Sirius knew that the death certificate would show Daisy's time of death, and Sirius would be able to determine how much damage he had caused to this small child.

"At this time, Daisy Potter does not have a death certificate," said Remus, not looking Sirius in the eyes.

"What?" said Sirius, in disbelief. "Remus, she can't be alive?"

"Now that secret will stay with me," said Remus.

"Moony…"

But Remus shook his head. "Some things cannot be known to the world, Padfoot; I'm sorry." Remus left the room and Sirius sat in silence for a while. Perhaps he did not deserve to know where Daisy was and if she was alive. All he could do was pray that he did not ruin her chance at life after all.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Well, I guess we will see what will happen to our golden trio!

To answer a review, no, Harry did not hide decoy cloaks! I can confirm that Malfoy took his real invisibility cloak. In regards to Kingsley, I'm trying to show him under pressure. We do not know too much about him but have faith in him; he may surprise you. In regards to Daisy, I am not answering anything yet! Lol you'll have to keep reading! I will confirm that Lily and James are dead (sadly). Lily's protection on Harry would not have worked if she were alive. Also, Voldemort was not one to use Abracadabra (he enjoyed killing). In regards to the light, yes Abracadabra does have a green light, that's what makes this spell so difficult to differentiate from Avada Kedavra - great question!

The next chapter will focus on the Trio, as well as a scene with Jessica, and the past scene gives us a POV from Petunia!

Thanks as always; reviews make my day!


	61. On the Run

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

* * *

 **Chapter Sixty-One: On the Run**

 **Ginny Weasley – Present Day**

 **March 1, 2001**

Ginny had spent the night alone in her shared flat with Harry. She wasn't worried about Harry's safety as this was not the first time that he was out somewhere in hiding. She also knew that it wasn't permanent, but the last time Harry, Ron, and Hermione had to go into hiding, it took almost a year before their names were cleared. She spent the evening searching their flat for anything useful that Harry could use, and she filled a rucksack with plenty of food and water for the three of them. She knew of course that she could not go with Harry. It wasn't because he didn't trust her; she knew that wasn't the case anymore. It was because Harry needed someone here that he could trust, and so Ginny knew that she was that person. She continuously reassured herself that her fiancé would come back sooner rather than later, but she could not ignore that nagging voice that kept telling her that Harry would not be back in time for their scheduled wedding of September the first. She looked at her watch and saw that it was almost time for her shift to start. She inconspicuously switched locations with Luna that morning, so that she could be on watch near the big hill and could meet Harry as planned. She went to their bedroom and grabbed the last item that she needed to, which was his small little box that had the extendable charm on it. She quickly opened it up to make sure that everything Harry would need was inside of it, but after pushing aside Harry's Firebolt and Marauder's Map, Ginny knew that what she really needed to find was not there. "Where is that cloak?" Ginny said out loud, fear starting to build up inside of her. She spent the next ten minutes searching their flat but she knew in her heart that the cloak was not there. Sighing, she slipped the filled rucksack under her robes, and apparated to Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix.

"How many people followed you?" asked George, as Ginny walked into number twelve, Grimmauld Place.

"Two were at my flat when I left," she responded. "There's about four outside."

"We are going to have trouble finding a new Headquarters," said Tonks, as she walked into the house. "All of our dwellings are being watched."

"I suppose we just keep this as Headquarters," answered Ginny. "They know that we are here and there is no way that they can get in, so who cares if they know."

"Kingsley said that they are looking for ways to gain entry by means of Ministry protocols," said George.

"So, we keep nothing in writing here. We'll just need to find a safe place to store everything," said Ginny shrugging.

"Yeah, but where?" asked Tonks.

"We'll figure it out," said Ginny, whose mind was elsewhere. "I've got to get going to my watch." She turned and headed out of the house, simply making a show for the Aurors who were watching, and apparated her way to _Les Bonbons De Rene_. She knew she wasn't followed when she arrived, and so she walked to the side of the building, hoping that she hadn't already missed Harry.

"Hey," came the sweet voice of her fiancé.

"Hey," she smiled back, falling into his arms. "Were you waiting long?"

"We've actually set up our camp just over there," he responded, pointing to an empty spot just passed the bakery. "You can't see us because of our protective charms of course, but we came last night so that we wouldn't be heard by anybody."

"Makes sense," she said, handing him the rucksack that she brought. "I couldn't find your cloak anywhere," she admitted to him.

"Darn," he responded, furrowing his brow. "I don't know where it could be, I always put it in my box."

"I know; I'll look for it," she said.

"Well, don't contact me," Harry said quickly.

"I know," she responded sadly.

"I will be in touch when I can – I promise," he added, seeing the look on her face. "In the meantime, plan our wedding. I'm serious! Make it discreet and only invite those we can trust; but plan it. If I can't come home before, I will at least be there on September the first."

"I can't risk you being caught," she said.

"And I can't risk not marrying you," he responded. He kissed her gently. "I have to go," he said. Ginny nodded her understanding. "Plan it, I'm serious," he told her. "And I need you to invite these people," he added, handing her a folded piece of parchment. "But do so last minute."

"Okay," she said. "What are you going to do now?"

"Probably fight horcruxes," Harry answered honestly. "See you," he said, and Ginny watched him walk away and disappear under his protective charms.

 **Harry Potter – Present Day**

 **March 1, 2001**

Harry walked into the tent and saw Hermione and Ron sitting at the little table.

"Happy birthday, mate," said Harry, talking to Ron.

"Thanks," said a disgruntled Ron, clearly upset with the fact that they were back in hiding again. "How's Ginny?" he asked Harry.

"Fine," he said. "She sent us some stuff," he added, opening the rucksack. "Look, Ron, cake!" he said, throwing him a piece of cake that had been wrapped up.

"Must have been from Mum," responded Ron, eating the cake. "She would never let me be without cake on my birthday."

"Why would Ginny send a Daily Prophet?" Harry asked, pulling the newspaper out of the rucksack. "Of course," Harry groaned, looking at the cover. Staring back at him was a black and white moving picture of himself, Hermione, and Ron, under a large heading that read: _Wanted by the Ministry: This Time, There are no Exceptions_. He threw the newspaper on the table, and Hermione picked it up, reading the article out loud.

" _There is no surprise that along with Miss Hermione Granger, Mister Harry Potter and Mister Ronald Weasley are wanted by the Ministry once again, writes_ Rita Skeeter, _famed journalist and author. Miss Granger has been wanted by the Ministry for some time, for forging illegal documents, and has been in hiding since, however, yesterday it was confirmed, as was suspected by the Ministry of Magic, that Mister Harry Potter and Mister Ronald Weasley were keeping her hidden and therefore breaking Ministry rules themselves. "This is not the first time that these three have been wanted by the Ministry," says DoloresUmbridge, from her office at the Ministry of Magic, "and it most likely will not be their last if we do not put a final stop to it this time." It seems as though the golden trio is not as honest as they proclaimed to be, and it has been stated that the last time they were on the run, they were the ones who had assisted He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and instead took the credit for his fall when it was in fact the Aurors from the Ministry of Magic who had defeated him once and for all. (See page fifteen, with my interview with Carl Jerkins, where I explain why I stated elsewise in my book_ The Golden Trio _). The Ministry has warned the public not to approach Potter and his friends, as they are considered extremely dangerous, and instead advise any witch or wizard with the known whereabouts of these three criminals, to contact the Ministry of Magic immediately."_

"Oh yeah, I remember assisting You-Know-Who," said Ron sarcastically, "that was fun."

"I suppose it could be worse," said Hermione, putting down the newspaper.

"Whatever," said Harry, truly not caring about it. "We have bigger things to deal with."

"Like what?" asked Ron. "Do you actually have a plan this time, or are we just winging it again?"

"Are you serious?" yelled Harry, getting really angry. "If you didn't open your big mouth in front of Umbridge-"

"How the hell did I know she was there?" he yelled back.

"If you were smarter you would have known to look around before saying anything-"

"Sorry we all can't be as smart as precious Harry Potter!"

"Enough!" yelled Hermione. "I am not going through another year of this bickering between the two of you! We are all in this situation whether we like it or not, and we are just going to have to make the best of it. Now, we know that there are two horcruxes out there so for now, we are going to focus on destroying them."

"And how do we do that?" asked Ron, still fuming.

"We make a plan, together!" she added, giving Ron the dirtiest of looks. "And if you don't like it then you can just go and lay in your bed but you are not leaving and you and Harry are not arguing about it, either!"

"Fine," said Ron. "I'll take watch," and he grabbed his wand and headed outside of the tent.

"Harry, just ignore him, okay?"

"Why do I always have to play nice?" asked a frustrated Harry. "He needs to grow up!"

"Yes, I quite agree, but I can't control both of you so for my sake please just let it go."

"Fine," said Harry. "Let's make a plan to deal with these horcruxes, then."

Hermione nodded. "What did you end up doing with the sword of Gryffindor?"

"Gave it back to Hogwarts, why?"

"We will need something to destroy the horcruxes once we find them."

"Right. Well, maybe McGonagall can get it for us."

"If she's seen taking the sword out of the castle, they'll know she is helping us and she will be wanted, too."

"How would anyone know that the sword has to do with us?" asked Harry.

"It's in our book that we used the sword to destroy some horcruxes," Hermione responded.

"Oh, right, so then, what do we do?"

"Maybe another basilisk fang," Hermione said.

"The basilisk is gone," Harry stated.

"Really?"

Harry nodded. "McGonagall told me that they had it removed last year."

"Darn."

"I suppose we can worry about destroying it later. We need to find out where they are first."

"Does Kingsley know that we've made the connection with the Fortescue's yet?"

Harry shook his head no. "We didn't get that far in the conversation," he responded.

"Well, even still, I'm sure someone has made the connection by now. It'll be dangerous to just appear at the Fortescue property."

"Do you even know where that is?" Harry asked her.

"Sadly, no," she responded. "Originally I was going to go to the shop in Diagon Alley."

"So, that's what we do, then," said Harry.

"Harry, we are wanted again, remember? We can't just show up wherever we'd like!"

"It's never stopped us before," Harry argued. "You've got Polyjuice potion, haven't you?"

"Only enough for us all to take it once," she responded.

"Well, that's enough. We will take it, find out what we can in Diagon Alley, and go from there."

"Do you really think we should use our supply on that? Once we use it, we won't have anymore."

"I'm not just going to sit here in this tent, Hermione!"

"And I'm not saying to do that! But we need to be smart. Remember that rocky hill we stayed at last time?" Harry nodded, remembering how dead the place was. "Well, I say we go back there tonight. We can stay put, hidden of course, but so far away from the world that nobody will find us, and we can focus on making a plan."

"Fine," said Harry, not really happy with it. "But we don't stay a day over three weeks, and after that, we start ending this."

 **Jessica Ferguson – Present Day**

 **March 6, 2001**

"Now, Dear, are you sure about this?" asked Molly Weasley, as she packed a fresh lunch in a rucksack for Jessica and Amelia.

"Definitely," Jessica nodded. "I've thought about it for awhile now, and with Ron gone, there is really no need for Amelia and I to stay here."

"You know that you two are welcomed here at any time," said Molly.

"I know, and thank you. But I have a life back at home and now that Amelia is healthy, I really need to get back to it."

"I understand, Dear. But promise me you'll write?"

"Of course!" responded Jessica.

"I'll send Pig with a letter every week, all you'll have to do is write back and attach it to his leg; he'll know what to do."

"Okay, and for sure you don't mind babysitting Amelia when needed?"

"Honestly, Jessica, I would be offended if you didn't allow me to! Whenever you need me, I'll apparate over there and bring Amelia here while you do what you need to do."

"Thank you."

"I really do wish that you would let me apparate Amelia home, though. It is such a long journey for her."

"Amelia has spent a lot of time around magic; I want her to get back to her muggle roots for now. But I have Neville coming with us anyway, so we will be safe."

"Neville?" repeated Molly, surprised.

"Yeah, I guess he should know where I live so that he can come and visit her," she replied. "This way is better anyway; at least it will just be Neville around and not his Grandmother."

"Well, I think you've made the right decision," said Molly, smiling.

"You will let me know as soon as Ron is back?" she asked.

"Of course, Dear! But you know, it may be awhile," she added sadly.

"I can wait," was Jessica's response. "Well, I better get going; Neville is waiting just outside of the fidelius charm."

"Do take care of yourself, Dear," said Molly, giving Jessica a large hug and wiping away a tear. "And you too, Amelia, I shall see you soon," she said, hugging the little girl tightly.

"Come on, Amelia," said Jessica, grabbing her daughter's hand. "It's time to go and meet your daddy."

 **Petunia Dursley – The Past**

 **December 16, 1986**

Petunia walked into the nursing home where her mother currently resided, with her husband and son. She hadn't allowed Dudley to see his grandmother since the horrible accident five years ago, but she had decided that it was time. She heard Vernon groaning behind her and she knew that he was unhappy with her decision, but she loved her mother and wanted her son to know who his grandmother was.

"Now, remember what mummy said, diddykins," she said to her son, as she held his hand and walked down the hall. "Grandma is ill and so we mustn't take anything she says seriously."

"Grandma will lie?" asked the young child.

"Not lie, my sweets, she is just sick and doesn't always remember everything."

"What about Grandpa?" asked Dudley.

Petunia stiffened at the mention of her father. "Your grandpa died many years ago," she answered honestly. "Come along now." The three of them entered a small bedroom where an elderly woman could be seen sitting on her rocking chair. "Hello, mummy, it's Petunia," said Petunia, as she cautiously approached her mother. "I've brought Dudley with me today, remember him? Your grandson?"

The woman turned around and faced Petunia. "Lily?" she whispered.

"Petunia!" said Petunia loudly, shielding her son as if the word Lily could hurt him.

"Lily, Lily," the woman kept repeating.

"I told you this was a bad idea," whispered Vernon from behind her.

"Mummy, it's me, Pe-tuuun-iaaa," she said slowly, extending her name as much as possible.

"Petunia," responded her mother.

"Yes!" said Petunia happily.

"Petunia, where is Lily?"

Petunia frowned. "I've brought Dudley to see you," she told her mother. "This is your grandson, Dudley."

"Dudley," her mother repeated.

"Yes, Dudley," said Petunia, bringing her son closer.

"Dudley, where is Lily?"

"Dudley, let's go," said Vernon, putting his foot down. Dudley left with his father and Petunia frowned at her mother.

"What has happened to you?" she said in a disrespectful way. "Even ill, all you can think about is Lily!"

"Lily, where is Lily?"

"This was a mistake coming here, mummy." Petunia stood up and straightened out her clothes. "You will be well-cared for here, Vernon and I will see to the expenses." And with that, Petunia Dursley walked out of the room and never looked back.

* * *

 **Author's notes:** Not much to say here. Jessica's story will be put aside for a little awhile. She may spring up here and there, especially when we have a Neville scene, but for the most part, our story is going to focus elsewhere (for now). The next chapter excites me; it isn't a super long one but it opens up the door for a big event that will immediately follow.

On to reviews: I knew my Ginny lovers were going to get mad at my last chapter! I promise you this is not Harry abandoning her and there is a reason why she had to stay behind (which you will find out in a few chapters from now) but Ginny also knows it and agrees with the decision. To reply to Cobezack3, I wish I could provide you with a posting schedule but I can't. Originally it was a minimum of once a week, but life happened and as of right now I can't promise anything. I do apologize but I can assure you that I am committed to this story and it will be completed! To reply to SpeedsONEandONLY, Kinglsey was going to explain who he was meeting with but Ron interrupted him. It was not Kingsley being malicious, it was Ron jumping the gun (which is very much like the Ron from the books). Harry also didn't actually burn the letter; he was trying to think of a quick excuse to cover up what happened and that was all he could think of. (Remember when Harry got caught by Snape in POA and quickly had to lie on spot? He didn't do a great job, and he didn't here, either). If it was Hermione, she would have argued with Umbridge about your exact point about the letter not revealing someone's location, but Ron and Harry basically panicked and ran, which is what caused them to look guilty. Your thoughts on Augusta are interesting but I can't say much right now because we will see more of her (much much later) in the story. Kingsley under pressure doesn't seem to be the nicest, but he is on the right side. He plays along with what is required of him as the Minister, and he's made some mistakes, but he is a "good guy". Finally, in regards to Umbridge, she did her time and paid her dues. She didn't get off, her sentence was simply over. Keep in mind the date that this story is currently at. Zorica, have faith in Harry's decision to leave Ginny! In regards to Harry's sister, I still can't say a word! To "guest", you have nothing to worry about Harry and Hermione - they are brother and sister in a sense, but that's it!

Thanks so much for the reviews! Keep reading and reviewing and I'll see you all at the next chapter!


	62. Preparing a Break Out

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

* * *

 **Chapter Sixty-Two: Preparing a Break Out**

 **Gellert Grindelwald – Present Day**

 **March 19, 2001**

"Gentlemen, please, have a seat!" said Grindelwald, entering the small shack where Theodore Nott, Vincent Crabbe, and Blaise Zambini were already waiting. "A bit stuffy in here, don't you think?" asked Gellert, opening a window. "My apologies for keeping you waiting!"

"We've got what you wanted," said Blaise, cutting to the chase. "When are you releasing the first three?"

Gellert smiled. "Such resourceful people, you Death Eaters! Which one did you bring me?"

"You'll see it when you answer our questions," stated Theo.

Gellert laughed. "If you present me with one of the three items today, then I will do the release of three prisoners this week."

"When?" demanded Vincent.

"I cannot say. For me to be successful, I require secrecy. Rest assured, however, that three will be released. Who might the three be, by the way?"

"My father, Nathaniel Nott," said Theo. "As well as Vince's dad, Jack Crabbe, and," with slight hesitation, said, "Lucius Malfoy."

"Noted," responded Grindelwald. "And in return…?" he asked, waiting for his reward. He watched Theo pull out a long silvery cloak, and reached for it, but Theo pulled it back.

"Our three are released first, then you get your cloak."

"I must see it to confirm authenticity," responded Gellert. When he took the cloak in his hand, he knew immediately that this was the one. "So, you stole from Harry Potter."

"It doesn't matter how we got it," said Blaise, grabbing the cloak back. "Where do we meet you for the exchange?"

"Within a week, you will hear through the Daily Prophet, I'm sure, of some disturbing news. Let that be the signal for you to know that I have succeeded. Do not trust the news, but play along, that is very important!"

"What do you mean?" asked Vince.

"I mean as I said, Vincent Crabbe. I will send word with Pius once I have secured the men safely. Until that time, be alert – you will all be under suspicion by the Ministry of Magic."

"Fine," was all Theo said. "Until then," and he turned and left via portkey with Vince and Blaise.

"Did you hear all of that?" asked Gellert.

"Of course I did," came the voice of the woman that Gellert most confided in. She walked from out of the shadows and turned and faced Gellert. "I'll start tomorrow."

 **Draco Malfoy – Present Day**

 **March 19, 2001**

"Mother, might we have a word?" asked Draco, approaching his mother, who was having a cup of tea quietly behind her husband's desk in the Malfoy study.

"Of course, Draco," she said, setting down the parchment that she was reading, careful to ensure that it was face down.

Draco frowned. What he needed to tell his mother was not going to be easy. "Mother, about my Ritual Knot…"

"I've told you, Draco, it is already planned."

"It's not that, I'm happy to be marrying Astoria," he lied.

"Good, then what do you wish to discuss?"

"My father."

"Your father?" she repeated.

"Yes…" Draco hesitated. "I know that you're going to have him killed so that you can have the Ritual Knot preformed."

"Draco…"

"No, please, let me finish. I've come to tell you that you won't have to do that because I have orchestrated his release."

"What?" asked Narcissa, in disbelief.

"Any day now, there is going to be a breakout from Azkaban and father will be included."

"Draco, what are you up to? Do you know how hard I have been working to clear your name? I may have Dolores Umbridge helping me but if you do something that she is against, such as a break out from Azkaban, then there is no protecting you!"

"Don't worry, I'm not the one doing it. In fact, the person who is doing it doesn't even know that I am involved."

"Draco, you need to tell me everything. Now." And so, Draco did. He explained how Crabbe had approached him and how he had stolen Harry's cloak. "How can you be so sure that they will honor their word and release Lucius in the first round?" Narcissa asked him.

"Because I made him agree to an Unbreakable Vow."

Narcissa gasped. "Draco, you did not!"

"I had to ensure father would survive. You do want him alive, don't you?"

"Of course I do! The only reason I would have had to do something else was for your benefit. Do you think it would have been easy for me to have your father killed? But we both agreed to protect both you and the Malfoy name and so I was given no choice!"

"Well, now you don't have to, because father is coming home."

"As a wanted man."

"Hiding is better than death!" Draco yelled, which is something he never did in front of his mother.

"And what cost to you, Draco? What did you promise in this vow of yours?"

"To do whatever it takes to help with the release of the rest," he responded quietly.

Narcissa inhaled deeply. "From now on," she said calmly, but stern, "you are to report to me immediately and I will assist you with whatever task you are required to do, do you understand?"

"Yes, mother."

"Good; now if you'll excuse me, I need to prepare a place for your father to stay once he is free."

 **Narcissa Malfoy – Present Day**

 **March 19, 2001**

Narcissa entered the Death Eaters lair quietly, listening to the conversation happening inside. Once she realized that it was simply nonsense being discussed, she stepped into the light and lowered her hood.

"Good evening," she said, to the group of Death Eaters that were sitting around a little fire.

"What are you doing here?" Blaise Zambini asked her.

"I may come and go as I please, Zambini; that was the agreement put into place."

"How can we help you, Missus Malfoy?" asked Theo politely.

"I wish to speak to you about this vow that you have with my son," she said plainly.

"It was Draco's idea," answered Crabbe.

"Regardless, it should never have happened! Do you need reminding of what I have done?" she asked them.

"No, Ma'am," answered Blaise quickly, glancing at Pansy who was sitting at his feet.

"Very good. Now this plan for my husband's release…"

"It's not in our hands, but I can assure you that it is happening," replied Theo.

"And none of us will be suspected?"

"Questioned, I'm sure, but as long as we all have an alibi, we should be good."

Narcissa nodded. She turned to leave but looked at them a final time. "Do not provide me a reason to visit you again," she said, and she put her hood back up and left.

 **Iris Dartmouth – The Past**

 **June 21, 1996**

Iris grabbed her hot cup of tea and finally sat down at her kitchen table. It had been a long day for her, longer than most. She knew the Parker boy did not understand the concept of Transfiguration, but never did she expect him to try and transfigure another one of her students! Luckily, she was able to restore little Lucy back to her regular self, and _hopefully_ will be able to continue educating her. Lucy was the brightest student that Iris had, out of the five witches and wizards that she home-schooled, and she would be upset if Lucy's parents found a new teacher. Iris went to sip her tea, when her cat jumped up onto the table and nearly knocked the steaming cup out of her hands.

"Mr. Proudfoot, be careful!" she yelled at her cat. Sighing, she finally took a sip of her tea, and picked up the Daily Prophet that was sitting on her table. The Owl had dropped this particular edition off two days ago, but only now had Iris found the time to read it. _He Who Must Not Be Named Returns_ , read the headline. Iris frowned but she was not surprised. Despite what everyone was saying, she had assumed that Albus Dumbledore had some merit to what he had been claiming. The boy, however, she was unsure of. You-Know-Who capturing him in a graveyard yet he escapes? It was a hard story to believe. She continued reading the paper and choked when she saw the small short headline that mentioned the name she loathed the most. So, she thought, Sirius Black was finally dead. She sat there quietly for a moment, then turned back to her paper. "Good riddance," she said out loud, as she took another sip of her tea. Years ago, she would have been thrilled with the knowledge that Sirius Black was dead and she was finally free of her Ritual Knot, but now, at age thirty-six, it no longer mattered. She thought briefly of Eric, but then shook her head. Eric had found someone else and she, Iris, would forever be alone. She had made the decision after she quit her job teaching at Ilvermorny, (to get away from Eric), and moved to Britain to become a teacher for children who were home-schooled. It was just her and Mr. Proudfoot and although it was not how she had ever thought her life would end up, she was quite used to the situation. "Mr. Proudfoot!" she yelled again, as her cat jumped up once more and this time almost knocked down her mother's urn. She grabbed the urn and looked around the room. She needed to put the urn somewhere safe, but she was unsure where that place was. Often times, she wished that her mother had just been buried like an ordinary witch, but Iris knew her mother was far from ordinary, and insisted that she be cremated like her great-great-great muggle grandmother. Iris laughed a little when she thought of it. Her mother and father made sure nobody knew that she had muggle ancestry, yet she goes and requests such a mundane thing like cremation. She drummed her fingers on the urn, wondering where she should put it, when she thought of the Daily Prophet laying next to her cup of tea. Being quite brilliant in charms, Iris knew that since Sirius was dead, their Ritual Knot would have vanished. She walked over to the small closet in the back of her house and lifted a box down from the top shelf. Since her Ritual Knot was now destroyed, she no longer had anything in this box and it would serve as the safest place for her mother's remains. She opened up the box and placed the urn inside, but something stopped her from closing the lid. Frowning, she grabbed her wand and said, "Lumos", and pointed her wand tip into the box. Sitting neatly at the bottom of her box was her most hated possession: her Ritual Knot with Sirius Black. Iris walked back to the kitchen and re-read the article in the Prophet. It definitely stated that Sirius was dead, but it did not say how. "Well, he isn't dead," she said out loud, closing the box and placing it back on the top shelf. She considered telling the Ministry, but then thought better against it. Maybe they buried him alive, she thought. The last thing she would want to do was help him, and she was content in thinking that Sirius Black was trapped in a coffin somewhere, begging for release and gasping for air. She grabbed the urn and continued looking for a new place to put it, and the thought of Sirius Black left her mind.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** So, Grindelwald and his mystery woman are working on the break out and it will happen soon, so stay tuned. There is not much to say today so I will see you all at the next chapter!


	63. Food Poisoning

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

* * *

 **Chapter Sixty-Three: Food Poisoning**

 **Hermione Granger – Present Day**

 **March 23, 2001**

Hermione folded up the Daily Prophet in her hand and frowned; something seemed incredibly wrong with what she just read.

"What's wrong?" asked Ron, who had just come into the tent, after being relieved of his watch by Harry.

"Apparently there were three deaths in Azkaban last night," she responded.

"Really? Who?"

"Crabbe's dad, Theodore Nott's dad, and Draco's dad."

"Lucius is dead?"

"It would appear so," answered Hermione. "Hey, Harry!" Hermione called out. "Would you come in here for a moment?"

"What's wrong?" Harry asked, peering into the tent.

"Lucius Malfoy and two other Death Eaters died in Azkaban last night," said Ron.

"What? How?"

"Well, according to the article that Rita Skeeter wrote in the Prophet, it seems as if some food went bad."

"And it caused only three of how many to die?" questioned Harry. "This story doesn't add up."

"My thoughts exactly," said Hermione, frowning.

"What does it matter?" asked Ron. "There are three less Death Eaters in the world; that's a good thing."

"Yes, but Ron, the way they died doesn't make sense. I almost wonder if Grindelwald had anything to do with this."

"Grindelwald? Why?"

"Because he had supposedly died in prison, too," responded Harry, following Hermione's train of thought. "What has the Ministry said about it?"

"Apparently they've ruled it as an accident," Hermione replied, looking at the article once more. " _Ministry Officials have confirmed that no foul play had taken place and it was indeed a misfortunate event. The families have been notified and arrangements are being made for their funerals._ "

"Funerals? I thought they would be buried in the Prison's graveyard?" asked Harry.

Hermione shook her head. "Prisoners only get buried there if the relatives don't claim the bodies. If they do, they have the right to bury them wherever they wish."

"So, I suppose you'll be wanting to contact Malfoy, then?" asked Ron.

"You know I can't," she responded quietly.

"But maybe you should," said Harry, both to Ron and Hermione's confusion. "Come on, you both know there's more to this story."

"Yes, but I can't risk being seen talking to Draco."

"Why not? We are already in hiding; what is Narcissa going to do?"

"No, Harry, and I'm not open to discussing it either!"

"Fine, then we need to have Ginny look into it."

"Ginny? Harry, are you mad?"

"No I'm not _mad_ , Ron! Ginny is our eyes and ears out there right now and someone needs to look into this."

"So, you're willing to put her in danger, then?"

"She's agreed to put herself in danger when she joined the Order."

"Some husband you're going to be!" yelled Ron. "I wouldn't dare let Jessica get involved in anything as dangerous as that!"

"No, you'll just let her underage child have your wand!"

"Harry!" yelled Hermione. "How could you – Ron, no!" but it was too late; Ron had attacked. It took Hermione quite some time to magically separate the pair, and once she was done, both had bloodied faces.

"GO!" Harry yelled at Ron. "It wouldn't be the first time you took off! I don't even know why you're here!"

"Stop acting like you run the show, Harry, because this time you don't!"

"What is the matter with you two?" Hermione screeched, standing between the two of them. "Harry, Ron is not right in this situation either, but you're going too far!"

"The truth hurts," said Harry, still keeping his eyes on Ron.

"At least she's alive," Ron retaliated. "Unlike all the people that died on your behalf."

Harry struggled to attack Ron, but Hermione's spell didn't allow him to move. "I've had it with the pair of you! There is enough going on right now and I don't need to add to our pile! So, I've already given it a lot of thought and have decided that we are splitting up!"

"What?" asked Harry and Ron in unison.

"You heard me! Ron, you will go to Diagon Alley with me, and we will find out what we can about Fortescue's death and where those horcruxes could be. Harry, you need to go speak to Aberforth and find out everything that you can about Grindelwald. If we are going to defeat him, we need information."

"Hermione, I am not going to waste my time talking to-"

"You _are_ going to, Harry, because if there's one thing that Albus Dumbledore has taught us it's that knowledge is power. Now, we will meet at the mountain just passed Hogsmeade where we used to meet Sirius and Buckbeak in about three weeks, and we are leaving now!"

"Hermione…"

"Harry, get out of this tent! I mean it; GO!"

"FINE!" Harry yelled. "I actually don't need either of you!" Hermione watched Harry grab his rucksack and disapparate without another word.

"What now?" Ron asked her.

"Now, we go and figure out where these Horcruxes are, and I swear Ron if you say one thing to piss me off then I'm leaving you behind!"

 **Ginny Weasley – Present Day**

 **March 23, 2001**

The current Order of the Phoenix meeting had just ended, and Ginny was heading back to her flat that she shared with Harry after a very long meeting, when she was stopped by Aberforth in the hallway.

"Take this," he said, handing her a wooden box. "I was told to give this to you if Potter ever took off, and well, he took off." Before Ginny could ask any questions, Aberforth left Number Twelve Grimmauld Place, and apparated into the cold night air. Anxious to know what was inside, Ginny quickly apparated back to her flat and opened up the box to reveal its contents. Inside, she found several pieces of parchment, all with Harry's handwriting. The first piece of parchment was the rights to the Dobwig Association, which she learned, after reading the entire parchment, now belonged to her. There was no detail as to why Harry had left it in her name, but she knew that he must have had a reason, and so she made a note to head there tomorrow and start searching for whatever it is that he had left her. The next piece of parchment she picked up was folded in half, with the words _unsuspecting allies_ on the folded side. Inside, she saw the following:

 _Katie Bell_

 _Oliver Wood_

 _Cho Chang_

 _Viktor Krum (he owes me one)_

Ginny continued to rummage through the box, but most of it was simply legal paperwork to ensure that nobody could take the Dobwig Association from her. She closed the box and yawned; it had been an incredibly long day and she needed rest. She laid her head down on the pillow and drifted to sleep almost instantly, and would have slept the entire night had it not been for the loud annoying tapping at her window. Getting up, Ginny opened the window to allow an unfamiliar owl drop a letter into her hands, before flying away without waiting for a return letter. Rubbing her eyes, Ginny unrolled the small scroll and read the words that were scribbled on it: _One of three I have received, two of three is coming to me. Three of three lies waiting on you, bring it to me or they all die too._ The hairs on the back of Ginny's neck prickled as she tried to make sense of the note. Truthfully, the threat of someone dying didn't scare her; she was so used to everyone she loved being threatened by one thing or another and this simply added to that list. What was troubling her was that whoever had written this clearly acquired something of value, and given the tone of the riddle, cannot be something good, yet they already had one and possibly two of whatever it was. Whatever the third thing was, it was evident that the writer had no means of retrieving it, but she, Ginny, did. She paced back and forth in her room, trying to think what it could be. The only thing she had access to would be stuff from the Order, but then anybody in the Order could have received this letter, so why her? Sighing, she took a seat at her table in the dining room, grabbed a quill, and started making a list of all the possibilities. Sleep was undoubtedly not an option tonight.

 **Harry Potter – Present Day**

 **March 24, 2001**

It was well passed midnight when Harry arrived at the outskirts of Hogsmeade. There was still snow on the ground and he was freezing, having only grabbing his rucksack when he departed the shared tent with Ron and Hermione. He angrily trudged through the snow, not concerning himself with getting caught. The anger that he felt right now was so strong that he knew if he came across anyone, Ministry official or Grindelwald, he would easily blast them away. Luckily, however, he uneventfully arrived at the door of Aberforth's house, and knocked on it quietly, before being let in by a very disgruntled Aberforth.

"Trying to get me killed, Potter?" asked Aberforth, locking the door behind Harry and heading over to the kettle to make them both a cup of tea.

"Sorry," said Harry, "but I don't think they'll look for me here." Aberforth grunted but said nothing else. "How was today's meeting?" Harry asked him.

Aberforth shrugged. "The usual; a bunch of new problems without any new solutions."

"You guys heard about the deaths, then?"

"Aye, we did."

"And?" asked Harry, irritated.

"It was a brief discussion, Potter; most people agree that there's no need to dwell on the death of three Death Eaters."

"Most?"

"Remus and Ginny think it's important."

Harry smiled. "Well, I agree." Harry waited for Aberforth to say something, but he remained silent. "Did, uh, Grindelwald ever mention the Abracadabra spell to you?"

"Gellert Grindelwald was not my friend, Potter."

"I know, I just thought-"

"You thought what, exactly?" interrupted a very irritated Aberforth. "That because my brother knew the wizard for a whole two months that I would have some information that could be of use?"

"I'm sorry," answered Harry, trying to remain calm. Hermione thought it was important for Harry to get information from Aberforth and despite how Harry currently felt towards her, he knew that she was probably right. Getting through to Aberforth, however, was no easy feat, and Harry knew that tonight was not the night.

"I only have two bedrooms upstairs," said Aberforth, still short but with a softer tone. "The first door on the left is my room and the other bedroom is where my goat tends to sleep so I wouldn't recommend going in there, but there is a sitting room up there with a small pull out couch if you'd like."

"Thank you," Harry responded.

Aberforth nodded. "Help yourself to whatever food you'd like, just stay away from the windows and doors; I have no interest in going to Azkaban for you." Aberforth sat down his empty cup and headed upstairs to bed. Harry debated on eating before finding the pull out couch. It had been a little while since he ate something warm, but having a safe place to sleep was even more scarce, so he chose the latter and headed to the couch where he found a blanket and pillow waiting for him. Yawning, Harry laid down, and allowed himself to be drifted away to sleep. He knew he had quite the challenge ahead of him, but decided that he would worry about it in the morning.

 **Iris Dartmouth – The Past**

 **September 3, 1991**

Iris walked into the staff room of Ilvermorny, not expecting to run into anyone. "Oh, sorry," she said, when she realized that she wasn't alone.

"Not at all, please, come in!" responded the Professor, who was sitting at the table reading a book.

"Thank you."

"I'm Eric O'Brien," he said, once she took her seat. "I teach Arithmancy, and you must be the new Charms Professor?"

Iris nodded. "Iris Dartmouth."

"Dartmouth; you must be British."

"Actually, I was born and raised just north of Bulgaria, but my ancestry does date back to Britain. And you? Your name sounds Irish."

"Irish I am! I just moved here about two years ago when I was offered the position."

"Same as me," she said. "It'll take some getting used to though, living in North America."

"It's not bad," answered Eric honestly. "So, how do you like Ilvermorny?"

"Well, it's only my third day here, but I'm honored to have a teaching position."

"Well, you'll have one for life, here! Have you noticed that all the Professor's are of age? Nobody wants to leave this place!" Eric chuckled.

"Nor do I so I suppose I'll fit in quite nicely!"

"I'm sure you will," Eric responded, smiling. "If you'll excuse me, though, I do have a class coming up that I must prepare for."

"Of course."

Iris watched Eric leave, but before he headed out the door, he turned to her once more. "I really am glad you've joined the staff, Iris," he said, taking a sip of his tea that he was taking with him. "It'll make for quite an interesting year for me."

"How so?"

Eric grinned sheepishly. "Well, as I said, all the Professor's here are near retirement; it'll be a distraction having a beautiful witch such as yourself on board." With another sip of his tea, Eric turned and left and headed for class.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Hello! So, this chapter is pretty self explanatory! To answer a question I received on a review, you will eventually learn who Grindelwald's mystery woman is, but it's not going to be yet unfortunately. If anyone guesses at who she is, I will not confirm or deny your answer to keep it a surprise, BUT I will give you this one and only hint: The woman is a canon character meaning it is not a made up character such as Jessica. Good luck figuring it out! (yes, I have dropped clues within the story and there will continue to be little easter eggs here and there).

The next chapter will focus on what happened at Azkaban.

Thanks as always and please keep reviewing!


	64. Narcissa's Intentions

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

* * *

 **Chapter Sixty-Four: Narcissa's Intentions**

 **Draco Malfoy – Present Day**

 **March 24, 2001**

It had been a very ugly morning. It was one of those days where it was cold, but not cold enough for the rain to freeze, and so the rain was coming down hard and the snow on the ground was melting, so everything was slush and dirty and brought down the mood of everyone outside. Not that it was a happy time, however, since Draco, his mother, and a few family members and friends had just finished burying Lucius in the Malfoy crypt. The handful of people who had attended (which consisted of the few Death Eaters who didn't make it into Azkaban, their families, the Greengrass family, and some old man in a pinstriped suit whom Draco did not recognize) made their way back to Malfoy Manor, where Twinkle, the Malfoy house elf, prepared a small reception. Draco watched his mother speaking to Astoria Greengrass' father in a hush whisper. He saw Astoria look over at him but he looked away. His mother had told him not to speak to them until the Ritual Knot, and he knew better than to cross his mother. He looked over to his left and saw Theodore Nott speaking to the man in the pinstriped suit. When they noticed Draco looking at them, Theo gave the man a nod and headed over to Draco.

"Wasn't he at your fathers funeral yesterday, too?" Draco asked Theo, once he was in earshot.

Theo nodded. "It's Pius in disguise," he whispered.

"What? But why?"

"Because, this was the plan." Theo was speaking so quietly, that Draco had to resort to reading his lips. "Tomorrow, our fathers will be removed from their crypts and transferred somewhere safe. So, we will have them back-"

"But the rest of the world will think they are dead," Draco finished, catching on. "But how? Unless they used the spell…"

"You know of it?"

Draco nodded. "My father told me about it once."

"We are to meet with our contact next week; until then, be sure to act like a grieving son."

"Of course," he responded. He was waiting for his mother to walk over to him so he could fill her in, when, instead, he was beckoned over to her and the Greengrass family. As he approached, he caught the very brief look his mother gave him which silently told him to hold his tongue, and hold his tongue he would.

"Draco," spoke his mother, "This is Curtis Greengrass," she said, beckoning to Astoria's father. "Melanie Greengrass," nodding to Astoria's mother, "and Daphne and Astoria Greengrass," she stated, indicating the two daughters.

"It is a pleasure to meet you all," Draco said, taking Mister Greengrass' hand and shaking it firmly.

"My condolences on the passing of your father," said Curtis.

"Thank you," responded Draco, carefully avoiding Astoria's gaze.

"Draco, Curtis and Melanie have something for you," Narcissa said to her son.

"Yes, I apologize that this is to be done in such troubling times, but since the Ritual Knot is scheduled for next week, I'm afraid there isn't any other time before hand to give this to you." Draco tried to keep a straight face; he had no idea that his Ritual Knot ceremony was next week, and all he could think about at the moment was Hermione. "As you know, of course, being a pureblood and all, it is customary for the witch's family to provide you with a gift." Draco nodded, but in truth, he was unfamiliar with this. "We thought a practical gift would be the best option." Curtis was silent for a while and Draco almost thought that he expected a response. He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, Melanie spoke.

"I thought she was advised to be here?" she asked angrily.

"Maybe if we called her, father?" asked Daphne.

"Muffy!" Curtis bellowed. At once, a small house elf appeared next to the man. "Ah, there we are!" he said. "Draco, please accept Muffy as our gift to you, to serve as an obedient house elf to you and our daughter, Astoria."

"That is most appreciative, thank you," Draco responded, not overly excited on having a house elf, but keeping up appearances as advised by his mother.

"That is very considerate, Curtis, thank you," Narcissa said.

"Of course!" Curtis said. "What pureblood family _doesn't_ have one? It was definitely necessary."

"Where will Muffy stay for the time-being?" Draco asked, hoping he wasn't speaking out of turn.

"Well, she belongs to you and Astoria now, so I suppose she will stay between the two of you. Whenever one of you are in need of her, simply call, otherwise, she will stay confined to either your Manor or ours until you have one of your own. Is that understood, Muffy?" he asked, looking at the house elf. The little house elf nodded. "Very good, then get going." Muffy didn't move, but she looked afraid.

"Father, only Draco and Astoria can tell her what to do!" stated Daphne knowledgably.

"Muffy, go help Twinkle in the kitchen," Draco said.

"Yes, master," said Muffy, and she disappeared obediently.

"Well, now that that's settled, I suppose we best be off," said Curtis.

"Thank you for coming," said Narcissa, grabbing Curtis' hand.

"Our condolences once more," said Melanie, taking her turn to say goodbye to Narcissa. Once the pleasant goodbyes were said, (which Draco managed to do without having to speak to Astoria) he turned to his mother.

"Mother, where _are_ Astoria and I going to live after the wedding?" he asked, genuinely curious.

"This is the Malfoy Manor, Draco; it will become your home."

"But then, we already have a house elf."

"You can never have too many house elves, Draco. Come, we still have more guests."

"But I need to speak to you about-"

"Not _here_ , Draco!" Clearly, Narcissa had assumed what Draco was going to tell her, and so he quietly stood by her, and joined her in thanking the guests who had come to pay their respects for (what they assumed was) Lucius' passing.

 **Ginny Weasley – Present Day**

 **March 24, 2001**

"Come on guys, I know we can figure this out!" Ginny was standing inside the Dobwig Association, leaning against Harry's (or rather, her) desk, along with Luna and Neville. She had invited them to join her, and had filled them in on the mysterious letter she received, in the hopes that they could figure it out together.

"Let's list everything that comes in threes," suggested Luna.

"Harry, Ron, and Hermione are three," said Neville.

Ginny frowned. "If they were referring to them, that would mean they already had one of them and had means of getting another."

"Yes, and they needed your help getting the last one, which could mean Harry. I would probably assume that you would have access to him as well," Luna said.

"I would rather not think that it be them," Ginny replied.

"The Deathly Hallows?" Neville suggested.

Yes, the Death Hallows. Ginny had thought about that last night as well, and with a pang in her stomach, she thought of Harry's missing cloak. Ginny sighed, but confided in her friends. "Guys, Harry's cloak is missing."

"You have no idea where it could be?" Luna asked.

Ginny shook her head no. "Harry always keeps it in the same place and it's no longer there and he has no idea where it is either."

"So then, this person must have it, and must know where another one is, which means there's only one left," said Neville.

"If that were true, then what would I know about it? The only Deathly Hallow that I knew the location of was the cloak and now that's gone!"

"Who could have taken it?" Neville wondered out loud.

Ginny shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know but it was hidden in our flat which means only someone with access could have taken it."

"You don't think there is a rogue in the Order, do you?" asked Luna.

"Oh, I most definitely think there is! I've already re-done the Fidelius Charm on our flat, and nobody but me and Harry can enter now. Sorry," she added, looking at her friends.

"Let's think about this," said Luna, disregarding what Ginny just said. "If it is the Hallows, and they have the cloak, and there is in fact a mole in the Order, then that means the second one that they almost have is the resurrection stone."

"What makes you say that?" asked Ginny.

"Harry accidentally mentioned that the stone was in the Forbidden Forest during a meeting once."

"I remember that!" exclaimed Neville.

"Okay," said Ginny, thinking hard. "So, if they have the cloak and know where the stone is, then all that's left is the elder wand."

"Do you know anything about the wand?" Neville asked her.

"Not a thing. Harry kept that very private."

"For good reason," added Neville.

"Definitely, which is why I can't see this being the thing that the person is referring to."

"Well, what else could it be?" asked Neville. When neither girls responded, Neville said, "maybe we should figure out who wrote the letter; that might help us."

"I truly have no idea," Ginny responded. "I don't recognize the penmanship at all!"

"What did it say again?" asked Luna.

" _One of three I have received, two of three is coming to me. Three of three lies waiting on you, bring it to me or they all die too_ ," Ginny recited from memory.

"Or they all die too," repeated Neville. "That means people; I really think they mean Harry, Ron, and Hermione."

"Yes, but Neville, if Ginny failed to bring Harry, how could they kill him? They would need him in order to kill him."

Ginny placed her head in her hands. "Who the hell wrote this!" she said out loud, frustrated. Suddenly, the three of them heard some noise outside of the office, and they moved silently together towards the door, with their wands raised.

"But I don't understand," came a familiar voice from the other side of the door. "When someone loses a Department, the door magically reveals itself to the Ministry!"

"Umbridge," Ginny whispered, lowering her wand and opening the door. "Hello, Dolores," she said, using Harry's trick and calling her by her first name since she hated it so very much. "This door did not reveal itself to you since the owner of the department did not lose it!"

"What are you doing in there?" she snapped at once. "What do you mean Potter did not lose it? Of course he did! He is wanted by the Ministry!"

"My fiancé did not _lose_ the Dobwig Association, Dolores, because it did not belong to him." Smiling, Ginny handed her the document that she found inside the box given to her by Aberforth.

"What nonsense is this?" asked Umbridge, snatching the parchment and reading it.

"This is my department," said Ginny coldly, "and I require you to leave."

She watched Umbridge pass the parchment to some Ministry official that Ginny did not recognize, but after reading it, the official nodded. "This is legal, Dolores, it belongs to Miss Weasley."

Ginny smiled. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have important business to attend to." She made her way to close the door, but Umbridge stopped her.

"Regardless of whose department this is, it is my right to search it!"

"On what grounds?" asked Neville angrily.

"On the grounds that I, Dolores Jane Umbridge, am-"

"Nobody cares who you are!" interrupted Ginny. "Besides, I am quite familiar with the Ministry Standards. You may search my department, but I do require you to make an appointment first."

"An appointment?" stammered Umbridge. "This is ridiculous!"

"But it is Ministry standards!" said Luna.

"Fine!" Umbridge nearly yelled. "I wish to make a bloody appointment for today!"

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry, but I'm afraid I do not have any available appointments for this week."

"When _do_ you have an available appointment?" Umbridge asked her through gritted teeth.

Ginny thought back to the Ministry standards pamphlet that she had read up on this morning. She knew that the longest she could hold off a Ministry Official was two weeks. "Next week, I'm sure," she responded. "As long as you check in with my secretary within the given amount of time, she will be able to fit you right in."

"And which one of you is the secretary?" she asked, clearly irritated.

"Neither, actually," said Ginny; she was quite enjoying herself. "She isn't in today, but if you send an owl, she will be sure to respond." With that, Ginny closed the door in her face.

The three of them started laughing. "What now?" asked Neville.

"Now, we search this place high and low and remove anything that she shouldn't get her hands on, and-" Ginny thought quickly to another piece of parchment that Harry had left for her. "-I hire a secretary."

 **Narcissa Malfoy – Present Day**

 **March 31, 2001**

Narcissa stormed into the lair, and headed straight for Theo. "I told you not to give me a reason to come back here," she said, with so much rage.

Theo beckoned to Blaise, and the pair of them walked over to a secluded corner for privacy, and Narcissa followed, exhaling deeply as she felt the anger rise in her face. "Madam Malfoy," Theo started, but Narcissa stopped him.

"My son's Ritual Knot is scheduled for tomorrow and I have yet to have Lucius back!"

"There has been a slight complication," said Theo.

"A complication?" repeated Narcissa. "I had plans for my husband to die so that there would be _no_ complications for my son's Ritual Knot ceremony!"

"We didn't know this was going to happen, honestly!" cried Blaise, as if he was pleading for Narcissa to have mercy.

"Draco wanted his father alive and so I honored his wishes, but with the condition that he be at Draco's Ritual Knot ceremony tomorrow to promise my son to the Greengrass' daughter. Explain to me how this ceremony is going to happen now?"

"Well, everyone thinks he is dead, so can't you just go through with it without him?" asked Blaise.

" _Is_ my husband dead, Zambini?"

"No…"

"Then how the bloody hell do you expect it to work? Do you think we can _fool_ magic into thinking that he actually is dead?" It was very rare for Narcissa to yell, but she was, and had no intentions of stopping.

"Please, Madam Malfoy, if you give us just a little more time…"

"There is no more time, Nott! What is it that you do not understand? The Ritual Knot ceremony is tomorrow!" When neither boys said anything, she asked, "what happened?" She could not rely on these idiots to solve her problems and so she needed the facts to solve them herself.

"We, uh, we…"

"OUT WITH IT!" she screamed.

Theo gave Blaise a small nod, before starting his story. "Our contact had promised to break them out of Azkaban alive," he started, telling her the full story. "He kept his word, but he used the Abracadabra spell to trick the guards and everyone else in thinking that they were dead so that it would end quietly."

"And how did he get in to cast the charm?" she asked him.

"We don't know; apparently he has someone on the inside helping him; she did all the work."

Narcissa made a mental note of the fact that it was a woman. "And then?" she asked, prompting Theo to continue.

"And then he got the bodies out of their crypts to a safe place, where they'll stay until…"

" _Until…_?"

Theo sighed. "Until we give our contact what he wants in return."

"And what is that exactly?"

"The Deathly Hallows."

"You've already given him one," she said. "I know that you've used Draco to get one."

"And we gave it to him," replied Blaise. "But he said that he wants all of them first, then he will release the remaining Death Eaters and then wake them all up."

"But that could take months! Years!"

"I assure you that it won't!" Blaise stated.

"Do you know where the other two Hallows are, Zambini?"

"Uh, no…"

"THEN HOW THE HELL DO YOU KNOW HOW LONG IT WILL TAKE? **"**

"Madam Malfoy…"

"No, enough of this, Nott. Give me the location of where he is kept."

"You're going to kill him, aren't you?" asked Blaise.

"What other choice do I have? Draco's Ritual Knot is tomorrow and I will not be rescheduling it!"

"We don't know where he actually has them," Blaise said quietly.

"You have until midnight to return my husband to his crypt," she demanded, tired of this conversation. "I'll take her for insurance," she added, tilting her head towards Pansy Parkinson.

"No way!" spat Blaise.

"Perhaps you do not understand the importance of what is required of you. Midnight." Narcissa walked over to Pansy and grabbed her by the arm. "With me," she said, walking towards the exit.

"Narcissa, please…" Pansy pleaded, once they were out of the lair.

"Oh, be quiet you stupid girl; do you honestly think I would bring you to my Manor near my son?"

"Then where are you taking me?" she asked, afraid.

Narcissa rolled her eyes. "Go home, but you are not to contact anyone until after my husband is back in his crypt, do you understand me?" Pansy nodded. "If he is not there, I will have your entire family slaughtered."

"As long as Blaise thinks I'm in danger, he will do it," she responded.

"Good; then let him think you are in danger." Narcissa watched Pansy apparate home, and she headed towards her own home. Her stomach was in knots as she thought about tomorrow. After everything she had done to make this happen, she could not have the Ritual Knot fail tomorrow. Sighing, she arrived back home and sat in Lucius' study, waiting for the clock to strike midnight. Right now, all she could do is wait, and hope very much that she did not have to have three pureblood families slaughtered.

 **Dolores Umbridge – The Past**

 **December 22, 2000**

"Enter," said Dolores, responding to the knock on her office door. It wasn't her usual sweet response either, as the anger building up inside of her was too intense to sound like the sweet, childlike voice of hers.

"Dolores, if I may explain," came the voice from the woman who just entered her office.

"Oh, you best explain, Narcissa! You told me that the Grangers had their memory wiped and that they would not be there!"

"They did have their memories wiped; it seems that someone had convinced them to show up regardless. I assure you that I had no knowledge of this!"

"I don't think I need to remind you, Narcissa, that I know perfectly well that there was no Ritual Knot, considering Lucius is currently locked up in Azkaban! I agreed to let your son off the hook, provided that you hand me Hermione Granger!"

"And I still will," Narcissa reassured her.

"How?" demanded Dolores.

"At Draco's next hearing. As long as I have your word that my son will not go to Azkaban, then we both will deny the engagement, and you may arrest Miss Granger for lying on her application."

"I've seen the way your son looks at her; he will not do anything to incriminate her!"

"Leave my son to me," Narcissa responded calmly, but sternly. "Do we have an understanding?" she then asked, when Umbridge did not respond.

"Fine," Umbridge agreed. "But if Draco does not cooperate, I will have you both locked up!"

"Dolores, do not underestimate me; my son will cooperate," and without another word, Narcissa left the office.

* * *

 **Author's notes:** Hello! So, I think this chapter gives insight to what kind of witch Narcissa is. I wouldn't say she's evil, but she will do whatever it is, right or wrong, to protect her son. (And having him marry a pureblood witch is a way of protecting him in her mind).

Just to clarify something in my previous chapter as it was questioned in a review, it's not that Remus and Ginny were the only two people to suspect there was something fishy about the food poisoning, it's that they were the only two who wanted to look into the matter further. The remaining Order members thought that there were other things they needed to focus on, and the three Death Eaters were dead so there was no need to concern themselves with it. (But oh boy, how wrong they are!)

Coming up in the next few chapters will be the outcome of Draco's potential Ritual Knot ceremony, what's going on with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, Ginny's new secretary, and what happened to Hermione's parents as well as Crookshanks.

Thanks as always and please keep reviewing!


	65. A Malfoy Ritual Knot

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

* * *

 **Chapter Sixty-Five: A Malfoy Ritual Knot**

 **Narcissa Malfoy – Present Day**

 **April 1, 2001**

Narcissa looked at the clock in her soon to be late husband's study. It was a quarter past midnight, which meant Lucius should have been put back in his crypt. Sighing, she slowly made her way out of the study, outside of her Manor, and apparated to the grave yard where the Malfoy crypt was. She stood in the shadows and stared at the stone building that held her husband. The door was slightly ajar, which was enough indication to her that Zambini had been inside and had returned Lucius. Narcissa found that she suddenly could not move forward. She had come to terms with losing Lucius; it was, after all, a promise they had made to each other. On the day Draco was born, her and Lucius swore that they would put him above all else, and vowed to do whatever was required for both his sake and the Malfoy bloodline. Staying true to her vow, Narcissa had orchestrated Lucius' death in Azkaban, so that Draco would be able to complete his Ritual Knot to Astoria. But Draco had caught on, and made a movement to try and save Lucius, and now here she was, having to orchestrate his death yet again. She took a few moments to compose herself, before telling her feet to move forward. It was one thing to accept the death of her husband, but it was another to have to be the one to take it from him. With her wand hand trembling ever so slightly, Narcissa entered the crypt and lowered her hood as she stepped into what should have been total darkness. Instead, however, was a little blue flame, held by a man she had never seen before.

"Good evening, Lady Malfoy. Allow me to introduce myself; my name is Gellert Grindelwald."

 **Draco Malfoy – Present Day**

 **April 1, 2001**

Draco paced back and forth around the edge of the Greengrass' property. He had arrived at the gathering as instructed by his mother, as today was his Ritual Knot ceremony, but the anticipation of seeing his father again was too much to keep him still. After what felt like decades, he saw his mother show up, and he headed directly towards her.

"Thank goodness, Mother, where is father?"

"He isn't coming, Draco," she said sternly.

"What?" he asked, confused. "So, the ceremony is off, then," he said, a little too cheerful for his mother's liking.

"It most certainly is not! I have made the necessary arrangements for today to be a success."

"But how-"

"Never you mind. Now, go and get ready; we will be starting momentarily." Draco said nothing, but instead leaned against a nearby tree. Had his mother actually killed his father? His stomach was turning when a young woman in deep burgundy and a long ugly veil caught his eye. It was not the first time that he had seen Astoria Greengrass, but it was the first time that he had actually _looked_ at her. She was very thin and small, almost fragile looking. The veil hid her face, but from the way she was standing away from everyone, he could tell that she, too, would have preferred to be elsewhere. To his left, he saw his mother walk onto the raised platform in front of the small crowd, and motioned for Draco to follow suit. He adjusted his black, velour robes with the Malfoy crest, and slowly made his way to the platform. His stomach began to cause him pain as he thought about the one thing that had been making him feel ill for quite some time: Hermione. He reached the platform and stood in front of his mother, looking out into the crowd, but not looking at nobody in particular. From his peripherals, he saw Astoria join him, and he heard his mother begin her well-rehearsed speech, but Draco was not listening. They had overcome so many obstacles, including his betrayal, yet they always pulled through, and now here he was today, finally ending it all for good; today he was losing Hermione. Emotionlessly, he placed his hand on Astoria's arm, as was required of him for the ritual, and after another speech or two, a black ribbon started to form around their arms, which then weaved itself into a 3D triangle above their heads, then finally landed gently in Astoria's arms, with the Malfoy crest atop of it, almost staring him in the face. Draco stared back at the crest in her arms, and realized for the first time, that both Hermione and his father were gone forever.

 **Ginny Weasley – Present Day**

 **April 1, 2001**

"Are you ready, Ginny?"

Ginny nodded. "I'm almost certain there is nothing here that she can find. But I guess another look around won't hurt."

"I'll check Ron and Hermione's old desks again."

"And I'll check Harry's office." Ginny walked into the small office within the Dobwig Association, but before she closed the door, she turned back and said, "Hey, Cho? Thanks again for agreeing to be Secretary."

Cho smiled. "It gives me something to do. Besides, there is actual work that needs to be done in this department, and I know you and Harry don't have the time for it."

"Merlin knows that's true!" Ginny closed the door behind her and locked it for good measure. She had no intentions of searching through the desk again as she knew she had been thorough, her focus instead was on the wall behind the desk. It had seemed odd to her from the moment she had gained ownership of the department, but she never brought attention to it. Now, however, she knew she had to figure it out, before Umbridge came in and figured it out for herself. Ginny pulled out her wand and used it to take measurements of the wall. The office was a perfect square, which would seem normal to the average witch, but Ginny knew that the room next door was a lot larger than this room, and seeing as though the Dobwig Association faced the outside of the building, there should be nothing behind this wall, other than the street. So why then, did it seem like the wall was pushed a good few feet forward? She pushed on different places of the wall, looking for any indication that there was something out of place, and after a few tries, she discovered what appeared to be a door. Opening it, Ginny found herself looking into a small broom cupboard. Smiling, as what it was dawned on her, Ginny stepped into the cupboard, closed the door, and vanished.

 **Essa Delacour – The Past**

 **July 9, 1995**

Essa burst out laughing as she watched her best friend try and mimic flying on a dragon. "There is no way you would have lasted a minute on that dragon!"

"I wouldn't have lasted a second since I would never find myself on one!"

"Witch or not, I wouldn't find myself on one, either!" laughed Essa again.

"Yes, but you have a much better chance than a muggle like me! I'm sure if you really wanted one, you could just accio it!"

"You know, Daisy, for someone who isn't a witch, you sure know a lot about magic."

"Thanks to you," replied Daisy. "But my father can never find out!"

"Then maybe you should stop taking all my books!"

Daisy smiled. "You've noticed, then?"

"Of course I've noticed!" replied Essa, playfully hitting her best friend with a pillow. "You just needed to ask, you know!"

"Sorry, not sorry!" Daisy cackled.

"It doesn't matter how much you read, I'm afraid; you'll never become a witch if you don't have the gene."

"That's okay," replied Daisy. "I don't actually want to _become_ a witch, I just want to know everything about them."

"For Richard's sake, I presume?" Essa teased.

"Of course!" answered Daisy. "He's a wizard; I have a better chance of him marrying me if he knows that I understand how his world works."

"Aren't you a little young to be thinking of marriage?"

"You are never too young to plan for the future!" responded Daisy dreamily.

"Well, I don't think you have anything to worry about; Richard is head over heels in love with you."

"He is, isn't he?"

Essa playfully hit her friend with the pillow again. "You're lucky that I introduced you two that day."

"I'll owe you for life!" Daisy joked. "I'll never forget that day… I still can't believe he thought I was a witch!"

"I told you, your last name is famous in our world; I would be surprised if he _didn't_ think you were a witch."

"Oh, come on, I'm sure Potter is an incredibly common surname. Just because one famous person has it, doesn't mean we are all related to him."

"Still," said Essa, teasing her friend like she usually did. "Lily Potter had red hair and green eyes, and _you_ have red hair and green eyes."

Daisy rolled her eyes. "Are you to tell me that the wizarding world does not believe in coincidences?"

"Not usually, Daisy. Magic is often the answer to everything."

"Well, not in this case! I know my father would never in a million years have anything to do with magic."

Essa frowned. "If he ever found out about me…"

"He won't," said Daisy confidently. "As far as he knows, you're as much of a muggle as I am! And the same goes for Richard."

"Your father doesn't even _know_ about Richard!"

"Not the point!"

Essa laughed. "I know that there is no way that your father is a wizard, but are you sure your mother couldn't be one? She is the one with the Potter name after all…"

But Daisy shook her head. "I don't know very much about her, since she died during childbirth, but from what my father says of her, there's no way she could have been."

"Oh, it was childbirth that took her? I knew she died when you were a baby, but I didn't know that was the reason."

Daisy nodded. "Both her and my grandmother died the same way, and I overheard my father talking to my Godfather once about someone else in the family dying that way, too." Daisy frowned after she said this.

"What is it?" Essa asked, knowing that look on her friend's face.

"Sometimes I have this funny feeling that my father is lying to me about my heritage."

"What makes you say that?"

"Because his story doesn't add up. He told me that his father and his grandparents were murdered in 1943, but his mother, Cecilia, lived until 1974."

"What's so strange about that?" questioned Essa.

"Because if my Grandmother, Cecilia, died in 1974, then how could she have died in childbirth if my father was born in 1960?"

Essa frowned. "Well, have you asked him?"

"Yeah, he said it was another child that she was giving birth to that didn't survive."

"There's your answer, then."

"But my grandfather, Tom, was murdered in 1943! He wouldn't have been able to get her pregnant!"

"It could have been a different man," offered Essa.

"Maybe," said Daisy, although she did not sound convinced. "He's just so secretive about everything! He told me he took my mother's last name to honor her, which is why we are both Potters, but he refuses to tell me what his surname was prior! Every time I ask, he says, _my name is John Potter and that is all you need to know_. It is so frustrating!"

"What about someone from your mother's side?"

"I don't know any of them," Daisy answered sadly. "I just know that my mother's name was Rosalyn Potter, but she died giving birth to me."

"So, let's figure it out together, shall we?"

"What do you mean? How?"

Essa paused for a moment before speaking. Finally, she said "you know that some of your relatives were murdered in 1943, right? A murder would have been documented. If we search who was murdered that year with the names of your grandfather and great-grandparents, then we will be able to find out their surname!"

A large grin spread across Daisy's face. "Let's do it!"

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Hello everyone! Hope you are all doing well! Not much to say here.. We will find out more about what happened in the Crypt between Narcissa and Grindelwald at some point.. (as well as what happened to Lucius!) The past scene was a good one, I think, a lot of little hints were dropped so let's see what you guys make of it.. Although I can confirm here that even with the hints I dropped, it does not confirm what happened to Daisy Potter! You will know in due time!

In regards to a review of the last chapter, you will learn more about Narcissa as the story goes, but just remember that she will do whatever it takes to protect her son.

Thanks as always, and I look forward to your reviews!


	66. Wands

_JK Rowling ended her story "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" at the end of the second war with Voldemort. She then followed up with an epilogue entitled "19 Years Later". This is the story of those 19 years in between. Please note that the information provided by "The Cursed Child" will **not** be taken into account for this fanfiction._

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

* * *

 **Chapter Sixty-Six: Wands**

 **Harry Potter – Present Day**

 **April 1, 2001**

Harry laid on his back on Aberforth's couch, staring at the ceiling. It was almost time to meet up with Ron and Hermione again and yet he had no new information. Although Aberforth allowed him to stay at his house and kept him fed, he flat out refused to provide Harry with any information. He sat up, frustrated that he hadn't gotten answers from Aberforth, but knew that he had to keep trying. He walked around the living room looking for any photo or piece of parchment that could miraculously lead to something, but other than a large portrait of Aberforth's sister Ariana, there were no other photos or parchments about. "H'lo," Harry said quietly to the portrait. It had become a habit to talk to Ariana, even though she never spoke back. "I don't suppose _you_ know how I can get information from your brother, do you?" he asked, not expecting an answer. Ariana just smiled back at Harry. "There's got to be a way to get him to talk," he continued to speak, but knowing that he was simply talking to himself. "He probably doesn't realize that he knows something important, but if he would just start talking about that summer when Grindelwald was in Godric's Hollow, maybe something will trigger a clue." Unexpectedly, he saw Ariana raise her arm, and point towards a shelf behind Harry. "What?" he asked, surprised and excited. "Over here?" he said, racing to the shelf and examining it. The shelf only contained four items: an empty milk jug, a candle, and two books. Harry looked at the books and saw that one was called _The Complete Wizard's Guide to Goats_ , and the other, surprisingly, was _The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore_. Harry immediately grabbed the book by Rita Skeeter and began flipping through it, looking for a page marked by Aberforth. After a quarter of an hour, however, Harry was certain that there was nothing altered in Aberforth's copy of the book. "Are you sure?" he asked, looking back at the portrait of Ariana, but she merely smiled at him. Harry went to the kitchen and sat down, going through the book page by page. It was only a few moments, however, until Aberforth walked in to the room.

"Why are you reading that filth?" he asked Harry, grabbing some toast and sitting across from him.

"If it's such filth, why is it on your shelf?" Harry responded, determined to get some answers for once.

Aberforth was silent for a while. Finally, he spoke. "I wanted to know what she knew about Albus."

"Is there any truth to this?" Harry asked him.

"Some, yeah," replied Aberforth.

"Anything about Grindelwald?"

Aberforth scowled. "I don't know how many times I need to tell you that I don't know the bastard, Potter!"

"I know that, but your brother did, and _you_ knew your brother."

Aberforth laughed. "I barely knew Albus; the only person who did know him _was_ Grindelwald. All I knew was of their obsession with the Deathly Hallows."

"What can you tell me about Grindelwald?"

"Are you not listening, Potter?"

"I mean, what did he look like back then? Did he wear robes all the time? What made him laugh? What colour was his hair? What kind of wand did he have? Did he have pets? I know it sounds silly, but there may be some detail that can help!"

Aberforth rolled his eyes, but obliged. "He always wore robes; never once had I seen him in muggle clothing. He didn't have pets but I'm pretty sure he kept Bathilda's owl when he left. His wand…" Aberforth thought in silence for a moment. "I honestly can't recall his wand. Maybe there's a photo of it in the book?" Harry flipped through the chapter on Grindelwald, but did not see one. "The last time I saw him," Aberforth spoke, but so quietly that Harry had to strain his ears to listen. "Was one final time after Ariana's funeral. He had come by the house and pleaded for Albus to go with him, but Albus had refused. He kept saying that the plan would allow him to see Ariana again, whatever that meant, but Albus turned and walked back into the house, and I'm almost certain that was the last time Albus saw him until he defeated him years later."

Harry was focused on what Aberforth just said. He did not explain out loud, but he was almost certain that Grindelwald was speaking to Albus about the Resurrection Stone. He made to ask Aberforth another question, but a loud noise in the next room made Harry jump. "What the bloody hell was that?" Harry asked, pulling out his wand, but Aberforth just slammed his fist on the table.

"If you all keep coming through that bloody vanishing cabinet, I am going to have it removed! You keep knocking over my plants that are supposed to keep it hidden!"

"Vanishing cabinet?" Harry repeated. He ran into the next room and almost leaped in the air with joy when he saw a beautiful redhead emerge from what looked like a broom cupboard. "Ginny!"

 **Hermione Granger – Present Day**

 **April 1, 2001**

"Are you ready?" Hermione asked Ron, as she packed away the tent into her beaded bag.

"Yeah," he nodded, pulling on his beard. "Do I look like me?"

"Not really, no," she said, taking a good look at him. "You look like that time we broke into Gringotts; just another ginger male with long hair and a beard."

"Good."

"And I?" she asked.

"Straight blonde hair? Definitely not Hermione Granger! Especially those blue eyes, what do you call them again?"

"Contacts," she responded, examining her reflection. "Okay, this is the best that we are going to get without Polyjuice potion," she said, closing her beaded bag and tucking it under her robes. "Do you remember the plan?"

Ron nodded. "Straight to George's shop and don't look around."

"But don't be conspicuous either! We need to blend in and make it look like we are just a normal witch and wizard on their way to a joke shop."

"Er, shall we hold hands?"

"What?"

"Well, we would blend in more if we looked like a couple just going about their day, wouldn't we?"

"Yes, alright," she said, taking his hand. "Okay, let's go." The pair walked into Diagon Alley hand in hand, and joined the crowds of witches and wizards going about their business. They uneventfully made their way to Weasley's Wizard Wheezies, and immediately caught George's eye when they entered the shop.

"Ah, Mr. and Mrs. Fleabottom, right on time! Your order has only just arrived! Come on back and take a look, I'm sure you will be pleased!" Ron and Hermione followed George to the back of the shop, impressed with his improvisation. "What the bloody hell are you two doing here?" he said, once they were in private.

"What do you mean? Nobody can recognize us," said Ron.

"Only a fool couldn't figure out who you two are!"

"Yes, but only if they were looking!" responded Hermione.

"Which they always are!" George answered, in a tone very much like Molly Weasley. "Today especially!"

"What's so special about today?" asked Ron.

Hermione looked at the calendar. "Oh my goodness, it's April the first! Happy birthday, George!"

"You fools," he responded, shaking his head. "Did you see those two wizards just outside of the shop? They work for Umbridge and have been there all morning, and you two idiots just walked right past them!"

Hermione peered through the curtain and saw that one of the wizards had entered the shop. "Uh oh," she whispered, trying to see where the other went.

"I've got it," said Angelina, coming down the back room stair case which led to the loft upstairs. "George, you get them out of here."

Hermione watched Angelina join Lee Jordan in the front of the shop, with a pigmy puff in hand, trying to get the inquisitive wizard to purchase one. "George, we can't go without information," she said, turning back to the tall redhead.

"You can and you will," he said, shoving them towards the back door. "That other wizard is probably on his way back here so you need to be gone before we all get chucked in Azkaban."

"But Fortescue-" Ron started, but George cut him off.

"The Order has no leads and neither do the Aurors, now go!" he urged, pushing them towards the back door. "And don't come back!"

"Fine, we'll go," Hermione said, "but we will be back with Polyjuice potion," she added stubbornly.

"Well that will be a whole lot better than those stupid disguises! You two look like-" but George stopped suddenly, once he realized that there were only two of them.

"Harry's fine," Hermione said, reading his mind. "He's on another mission, but will be meeting up with us again shortly."

George nodded. "Alright then, get going, Mr. and Mrs. Fleabottom!"

"Of all the names…" Ron growled, but he gave his older brother a hug, before heading towards the back exit.

 **Gellert Grindelwald – Present Day**

 **April 1, 2001**

Gellert studied the two books in front of him. He had _The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore_ opened to a page towards the end, which showed a picture of Albus, probably a year or so before he died. The magical moving picture showed a very annoyed and tired Albus, who kept reaching for his wand, next to a disgruntled Harry Potter, who, too, had his wand out. The second book, _The Golden Trio_ , was opened to a page in the centre, which showed a large dragon flying out of Gringotts, and, if one looked very carefully, three people were sitting on its back.

"Studying again?" came a voice, after a few taps of a heel walking towards him.

"Sharon!" Gellert smiled, looking up at her. "Just the witch I wanted to see! Tell me, what do you know about Harry Potter's wand?"

"Nothing," she answered honestly, sitting across from him at the table. "Although the book is quite detailed about it," she added. "An examination was done by Ollivander on all the wizards who participated in the Triwizard Tournament, and the bit on Harry was included in the book."

"The wand pictured here," he said to her, pointing at the photograph with Albus, "is different from the wand pictured here," he said, pointing to the photo of a tiny Harry on a dragon.

"How could you be sure?" she asked, squinting at the photo. "If I didn't know that it was Potter on that dragon, I wouldn't be able to make out who it was!"

"I know wands very well, Sharon, and that right there is not the same wand."

"Okay, and if it's not, so what?"

"I have seen Harry Potter's recent wand," he explained to her. "And it is the same wand as the one in the photo with Albus."

"And?"

" _And_ the photo of the dragon was taken after Albus' death. Don't you see, Sharon? Harry Potter is using more than one wand. A wizard only changes his wand if his previous breaks, unless…"

"Unless?" Sharon questioned, not very interested.

"Unless he was using the Elder wand. That's it!" he exclaimed, after finally having figured it out. "Albus left the wand to Harry after he died, and Harry had tried to use it, but because the wands allegiance was not to Harry since Harry didn't kill Albus, the wand wouldn't work for him, meaning-"

"Meaning Potter went back to his original wand but knows the location of the Elder wand," Sharon finished for him.

"Exactly!" said Gellert, quite excited.

"But You-Know-Who had it, didn't he?" asked Sharon.

"Yes he did," said Gellert slowly. "But when he had it and when Harry had it, I do not know." He was silent for some time, trying to determine a timeline. "What I need is a Death Eater to put some dates into perspective," he finally said.

"Your puppet was a Death Eater."

"Pius is not a knowledgeable one. No, I need one from Riddle's inner circle."

"Well, the ones that are alive are locked up in Azkaban."

"Yes, but not for long. Pius!" he called out.

He watched Sharon vanish from sight, just as Pius walked in. "You called, Master?"

"Yes, Pius, I need to speak with Narcissa Malfoy," he told his ally. "Bring her to the shack immediately."

Pius left at once, and Sharon reappeared, accompanying Gellert towards the old shack. "What do you need her for?" she asked, as they made their way over.

"She owes me a favour," he said. "I hadn't planned on cashing in so quickly but I suppose now is as good of a time as any." He said nothing else to her, and once at the shack, Sharon hid away just before Pius appeared with Narcissa.

"I don't do well with these forced meetings," Narcissa said bravely, staring straight into Gellert's eyes.

Gellert gave Pius a small nod signaling for him to leave, then he looked at Narcissa and smiled. "Luckily, my dear, this is the one and only time. As I recall, you owe me a favour, and it is time for me to cash it in."

 **Essa Delacour – The Past**

 **December 30, 1998**

"Are you sure we can't celebrate the New Year together?" Ron asked Essa, in between kisses.

"Only if you're willing to do so with my parents," she responded, not willing to remove her lips from his.

"Nope, see you next year," he said, sitting up and trying to catch his breath.

Essa laughed. "You'll have to face them eventually, Ron."

"Later works for me. Shall we resume?"

Essa laughed. "Daisy is coming by, so you need to leave," she said, kissing him again.

"Why do I have to leave?"

"Because I haven't seen Daisy since the summer and we have plenty of catching up to do! You'll meet her soon though, as my best friend I'm almost certain she is going to force me to introduce you!"

"Why?"

"The best friend seal of approval!" Essa joked.

"Okay, then she can give it today," Ron responded, pulling Essa in closer to him. "Because I am not done with you yet."

"Oh yes you are!" she teased, pulling him away. "It's been too long since we've seen each other; we have so much to discuss!"

"Why doesn't she go to Beauxbatons again?" he asked her.

"Because she is a muggle."

"Really? You never told me that."

" _You_ just don't remember. I told you that I met her that time my parents and I went on a trip to London and I walked into her hotel room-"

"-Because you thought she was Harry Potter since the tag on the luggage that was brought up to her room said _Potter_ on it," finished Ron, remembering the story.

"Right!" Essa smiled. "I just _had_ to meet the famous Harry Potter!"

"And now you're dating his best friend!"

"And _my_ best friend is also a Potter!"

"What are the odds?" Ron laughed, thinking about it.

"I could have sworn she was lying when I first met her; there was no way a Potter wasn't a witch or wizard. But after some research, I realized that there were over one hundred muggles living in Britain with the surname Potter."

"And yet Harry is the only wizard," stated Ron.

"Since all the remaining Potters in his lineage are dead," Essa added sadly.

The pair were silent for a moment until Ron pulled her onto the bed again. "Well, I require a few more kisses before your Potter steals you from me."

"Gladly," Essa responded, kissing her boyfriend once more.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Hello everyone! Okay, first, I realized that I have not posted in a month. Between working full time, raising a toddler, writing a novel (with intentions of publication) and everyday life, things get hectic! But I've said it before and I'll say it again: I am committed to this fanfic and I will never leave you guys! For those of you sticking it out with me, thank you! For those new followers, welcome! For anyone who is choosing to leave, you will be missed!

Alright, story discussion! There's a lot of unanswered questions that are going to be answered in the fall of 2001 (right now it is April in our story). From now until then, we will find out how Malfoy's Ritual Knot took place, an answer to a huge plot twist that is happening in the next chapter (no spoilers!) What is going on with Jessica, what is going on with the Hermione and Draco relationship (is that what you would call it?) Ginny and Harry's wedding (and if it is going to happen) the muggle girl (remember her?!) annnnddddddd Grindelwald's mysterious witch! (I think.. I am anxious to tell you all who she is but I also like keeping it a secret lol) To respond to a review and answer your questions: 1. Nothing is wrong with Draco's Ritual Knot (but you'll eventually learn how it all worked out) 2. Daisy was not put with Remus' dad 3. Richard is a wizard from Beauxbaton that Daisy is dating in the past scene 4. Ginny went through the secret vanishing cabinet that leads to Aberforth's house.

A final thought to leave you all with: I would just like to remind you all that my story is canon to the Harry Potter stories (book one through seven) but does not include the Cursed Child or the Fantastic Beasts series. With Crimes of Grindelwald just being released (have you all seen it yet? Protect the secrets!) I would like to reiterate that my Grindelwald was created from my vision before the Fantastic Beasts series and he will not be like the Grindelwald that we meet in JK's Fantastic Beasts series.

Until the next chapter - thanks as always!


	67. Gone

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

* * *

 **Chapter Sixty-Seven: Gone**

 **Narcissa Malfoy – Present Day**

 **April 1, 2001**

"Lady Malfoy, allow me to explain," said Gellert Grindelwald, motioning for Narcissa to join him at the table. "I did you a favour early this morning-"

"One I did not ask for," Narcissa interrupted.

"Ah, but one you accepted!" countered Gellert. "And in return, I require something for my services."

"Then you should have stated that during our previous encounter."

"And if I had? You would, what, my dear? Tell me to let Lucius die?" Gellert smiled at her silence. "You were grateful for what I had provided to you, and remain grateful, I am sure, since I will be waking him up shortly."

"What do you want?" she asked him, though not unkindly.

"For you to bring me someone," he told her.

"Who?"

"Either Ronald Weasley or Hermione Granger; the choice is yours."

Narcissa sat quietly, monitoring Gellert's expression. "Surely you would prefer Mister Potter over his friends," she finally spoke.

"Can you actually capture Mister Potter? I dare say many have tried and have failed."

"His friends are just as protected," stated Narcissa.

"And yet you have found yourself in the presence of Hermione Granger on more than one occasion."

Gellert was toying with Narcissa, but she was not going to stand for it. "You must do as you see fit, Mister Grindelwald, but I can assure you that I have no desire in working for another Dark Lord. My husband may have thought it prudent years ago, but my husband is no longer making the decisions at Malfoy Manor." She spoke with confidence, but she was also aware as to whom she was speaking to, and she kept a firm grip on her wand beneath her robes. To her surprise, however, Gellert was laughing.

"A strong woman you are, Lady Malfoy, and I am quite convinced with your performance that you are, indeed, the right candidate to bring me Ronald Weasley or Hermione Granger. Let me correct you, however; I am not a Dark Lord, nor am I looking to employ you. Now, let me make my request clearer: In return for my services of this morning, I require you to bring me either one of Harry Potter's closest friends. You may rest assured that neither will be harmed-"

"I do not have concern for either," she interrupted.

"Even so, I have no intentions of killing them at the present time. And in return, Lady Malfoy, because I am a wizard of honour," he grinned, "I shall have your beloved husband awoken without ever calling on you for your assistance once more."

Narcissa, again, said nothing. She had enough to deal with at the present time than to worry about tracking down Granger or Weasley when she knew they were in hiding with Potter. "And if I do not?" she tested, "what are your terms?"

Gellert laughed once more and leaned back in his chair. "Terms are not required, Lady Malfoy; I am confident you will do as I require."

"Very well," she responded, and she apparated back to Diagon Alley, where she had originally been, before Pius Thicknesse had approached her. She walked towards Madam Malkin's Robes for all Occasions, as she had to pick up Draco's new robes, when she saw a short, familiar witch standing nearby, yelling at an unrecognizable wizard. Narcissa lifted her hood over her head and discreetly made her way towards the pair.

"He said they were here!" Dolores Umbridge was shouting. "Find them! FIND THEM!"

 _Surely, she could not have been talking about Potter and his friends_ , Narcissa thought to herself. _They wouldn't have been stupid enough to come to Diagon Alley in broad daylight._ She looked up and noticed that she was in sight of Weasley's Wizard Wheezies, and chuckled. _Could she actually be able to solve her newly unwanted problem?_ Narcissa made her way to the back of the shop, just as she watched a horribly disguised Weasley and Granger step out. Grabbing Granger would have solved more than one problem for her, but it would have resulted in showing her face as she would have had to bypass Weasley, and so, wanting to be finished with this task, she quickly grabbed Weasley's wrist and apparated back to the shack, before Granger or anyone else could notice.

"Ahh, where am I?" shouted Weasley, upon landing on the floor of the shack.

Narcissa was pleased that Gellert was still there. "Are we done?" she asked him, not removing her hood.

"We are indeed," Grindelwald said, his eyes sparkling as he stared at Weasley. Narcissa turned and apparated out of sight, arriving back at Diagon Alley and heading to Madam Malkin's to continue her day as she had originally intended.

 **Hermione Granger – Present Day**

 **April 1, 2001**

"We'll be back, George, I'm serious!" she said, as she followed Ron out the back door. "Okay, let's go to the rendezvous point and meet Harry; maybe he will have a better way of-" Hermione screamed. In a matter of seconds, she saw a hooded figure grab Ron's arm and disapparate out of the back alley. "Ron!" she screamed, knowing that it wouldn't do any good. "RON!"

"Hermione!" came George's voice, poking his head out into the alley. "Quiet down, someone will hear you!"

"Ron!" she said again, not caring. "George, someone t-took R-Ron!"

"What?" he said, taking a sweeping look in the alley. "Come inside," he said quietly, grabbing Hermione's arm and closing the door behind her.

"George, someone took him, we have to find him!"

"Lee," George called out to his partner, Lee Jordan. "Close the shop, now," he said sternly but calmly.

"George? What's going on?" Angelina asked him.

"Just lock up and summon the Order immediately; we have a situation."

Hermione sat down and sobbed uncontrollably. "They took him!" she said in between breaths, her head in her hands. "I c-couldn't help him!"

"I know," said George soothingly. "We will get him back, don't worry."

"Yes, b-but, b-but, will we get him back alive?" she stammered, tears gushing down her face.

George was saved the hassle of replying as Remus and Tonks entered the back room of the shop, followed by Kingsley, Aberforth, Neville, Luna, Dennis, and several other Order members.

"What's going on?" asked Kingsley, the moment everyone was safely and privately inside of the back room at Weasley's Wizard Wheezies.

"Someone took Ron," he responded.

"What? When?" asked Remus.

"Just now," George sighed. "We don't know who, or anything really, other than that fact that he's gone."

Hermione sat sobbing uncontrollably while the Order members talked amongst themselves. Between sobs, she heard bits of what was being said, but she wasn't focusing on what she was hearing.

"There are Ministry Officials out front."

"Someone must have followed them here."

"Where's Harry?"

"Remus, we need to take her somewhere safe."

"Was it a Death Eater?"

"Kingsley, can the Aurors help?"

"Dora, take her out of here, you know where."

Hermione felt gentle hands grab her arm, and she allowed them to lead her out of the shop through the back door and side along apparate to an unknown location. She entered what appeared to be a little house and made her way over to the nearest couch. Here, she allowed herself to lose control, and she cried for what felt like hours. The woman with her, who she later realized was Tonks, allowed her to cry, and said nothing to stop her. After an unknown amount of time, and when Hermione was certain that she couldn't possibly have any tears left, she lifted her head and looked around. She was definitely somewhere that she had never been before. The house was clean, but old. The couch she was sitting on was so old that there was very little cushion to sit on, and the couch was sunken to the ground. Across from her sat Tonks on a wooden rocker that squeaked every time Tonks moved, and the kitchen that was directly in front of her was so yellow with age, that Hermione found it rather hard to believe that the appliances at one point could have been white.

"Where am I?" Hermione finally spoke, her voice so hoarse from all the crying she had just done.

"Remus' childhood house," Tonks answered her gently.

"Remus grew up here?" Hermione asked, appalled.

Tonks smiled. "It didn't always look like this. Remus uses it now as his transformation house; whenever there's a full moon, this is where he comes." Hermione nodded her understanding, but said nothing else. "Do you want to talk about it?" Tonks asked her.

"Not really," Hermione answered, surprised that another tear was able to roll down her cheek.

"Where is Harry?"

"On a mission," Hermione responded. "We weren't supposed to meet up with him again until tomorrow."

"Do you think someone else might know this?"

Hermione shrugged. "I don't know anything anymore. I thought we had been careful enough, I don't know how anyone would know that Ron was there…"

Hermione's voice trailed off as she started to cry again, but this time, Tonks came to her and tried to comfort her. "Hermione, you mustn't give up; we will find him."

"Look how many we've lost, Tonks! Realistically, the odds of ever seeing Ron again is… is…" but Hermione could not finish her sentence.

"If someone wanted Ron dead, then they would have killed him right there and then. Instead, they took him-"

"Probably to torture him for information," Hermione said, losing her stomach.

"You need sleep," Tonks decided. "You are safe here, so lay down and get some rest."

"No, I need to-"

"What you need to do is rest," Tonks interrupted sternly. "The Order is already working on it and there is nothing you can do. You are the only one who can reach Harry tomorrow and so tomorrow you will be useful. Until then, you are going to close your eyes and get some sleep."

Hermione didn't argue. The truth was, she _was_ exhausted. She slumped down and allowed Tonks to cover her with a blanket. She closed her eyes as she tried to remember the scene where Ron was taken, hoping that something useful would come to mind, but before she could even complete the entire memory, she was asleep.

 **Harry Potter – Present Day**

 **April 1, 2001**

"Ginny? What are you doing here?" Harry asked, as he grabbed his fiancée and kissed her hard.

"Ugh, I guess I'll get going," grumbled Aberforth, as he left the house.

"I've missed you!" said Ginny, releasing Harry to be able to speak. "Umbridge is searching the office to try and uncover clues to find you, so I've been making sure that there is nothing there but then I came across this," she said, pointing towards the cabinet.

"That's not a problem," Harry said, reaching towards the back of the cabinet and pulling out a vile with a milky colored liquid. "The cabinet won't work without this," he told her, pocketing the vile.

"What is that?" Ginny asked him.

"Acromantula venom," he answered her. "It's incredibly rare but even if she does get her hands on it, she would need to know where this cabinet is first."

Ginny smiled. "What are you doing here? And where is Ron and Hermione?"

"Investigating a lead," Harry answered, anxious to discuss something else. "I've been trying to work Aberforth to see if I can get some information on Grindelwald."

"Any luck?"

"Not really, although I've pretty much confirmed that Grindelwald and Dumbledore were in fact after all three Deathly Hallows."

"So, in other words, you haven't gotten much."

"I'm afraid not. What about the Order? Anything new?"

"Well, not the Order, but I have…" Ginny placed her hand in her robes and pulled out a piece of parchment which she handed to Harry.

Harry took the parchment from her, and read out loud: " _One of three I have received, two of three is coming to me. Three of three lies waiting on you, bring it to me or they all die too_." Harry read it a few times more, before speaking to Ginny. "Who sent this?"

"I don't know," she told him. "I didn't recognize the owl, either."

"This has to be from Grindelwald," Harry told her.

"I think so too, but what is he talking about?"

"It can't be me, Ron, and Hermione, because he doesn't already have one of us, so it must be the Hallows."

"But I don't have any, so how could I give him one?"

"He must think you have one, unless…"

"What?"

"Unless Draco didn't give him the cloak and so he thinks you have access to it."

Ginny thought for a moment. "If that were true, then that means he has one of the other Hallows, and he has a means of getting the last one."

" _One of three I have received_ … Well, the cloak _is_ gone, so there's a good chance that's what he already has."

"Which means he almost has one of the others and thinks I have a way of getting the last one."

"It doesn't make sense that he would think that since you _don't_ have a way of getting them, which means he must be talking about you bringing him the cloak."

"Which means he has either the stone or the wand and has a way of getting the other. Either way you look at it, Harry, it's bad."

Harry looked down at the parchment again. "He's threatening to kill me, Ron, and Hermione, which is fine, because so is the rest of the world, so I'm not worried about that, but I am worried about him being so close to the Hallows."

"If it is the Hallows that he's after."

"What else could it be?"

"I don't know, Harry, but don't you think you should check on the other two and make sure they are still there?"

Harry frowned. "I can't go near the elder wand. If I do, and I'm being watched, then I'll give up its location and I can't risk that."

"The stone, then?"

"We might not have a choice. But I dropped it in the Forbidden Forest and it looks like a regular stone, it's going to be impossible to locate."

"Well, do you have a general idea of where to look?"

Harry nodded. "I'll have to find a way to speak to McGonagall and see if I can start searching."

"You can't do it by yourself, Harry! Even if Ron and Hermione help you, it could take months!"

"What else am I going to do?"

"Trust the Order."

"I do trust the Order, but, I don't know Gin…"

"I understand your concern, Harry, something like this is a huge deal."

"If it gets into the wrong hands…"

"I'll speak to McGonagall and set up searcher pairs where we know everyone is paired up with someone we fully trust."

"Ginny, when it's found, you _must_ fight the urge to use it. I know it is going to be hard with Archie and your father…"

"I know, Harry, but you need to trust me, too."

Harry nodded. "Once it's all organized, Hagrid will know where to take you. Tell him that I dropped it at the same place where Voldemort thought he had killed me."

Ginny nodded her understanding. "I guess I should go," she said sadly.

"Have you been planning the wedding?" Harry asked her. "It's in five months from today."

"Harry, how is a wedding possible right now?"

"I told you it was going to happen, and it will. I have a plan."

"You have a plan to clear your name?" she asked him.

"Well, I have a plan for that too, yeah, but that won't happen until after the wedding."

"Then how-?"

Harry smiled. "It's your turn to trust me. Just plan it and I will see you on September the First!" With that, Harry kissed his fiancée goodbye and watched her walk out the front door and apparate away, for at least five months.

 **Albus Dumbledore – The Past**

 **September 6, 1899**

Albus closed the front door and walked towards his bedroom. He had intentions of watching Gellert leave from his bedroom window, but he was instead intercepted by his brother Aberforth.

"Go with him," Aberforth grumbled.

"I am aware that you heard the conversation, Aberforth, and therefore know that you are aware that I told him to leave on his own."

"But I'm telling you to go."

"I am the eldest and therefore responsible for this family…"

"What family?" Aberforth yelled at him. "You killed the last member of this family! Ariana is dead!"

"I know this is hard," Albus said quietly, "but I need to do what is best for you-"

"For me? FOR ME? I DON'T NEED YOU, ALBUS, BUT ARIANA DID!"

"Aberforth, please, I've made my decision."

"Yeah, you did, and you have to live with it. I'm out of here."

Albus did not bother to try and stop his brother as he knew that he would not have succeeded, and so he therefore chose to retire to his bedroom. He knew Gellert was long gone by now and there was no chance of him setting eyes on him once more. As a final farewell to him, Albus walked over to his desk and picked up a very important piece of parchment. He carefully folded the parchment in half and secured it to the owl that was sitting on a perch in the corner. He opened his window and watched the owl fly off into the darkness, on its way to find Gellert. Albus watched all of his work disappear as the owl flew further into the night and smiled. He may have lost two of the most important people in his life, but at least one of them will still be able to succeed. Albus closed the window and laid down on his bed, forever letting go of his dreams of finding the Deathly Hallows. "Good luck, Gellert," he whispered, as he closed his eyes and allowed a single tear to stream down his cheek.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:** Hi All! Hope you're all enjoying so far! So I thought I would clear up something since I keep getting asked this a lot. This copy of my fic is my unedited version. My focus right now is to write the actual story. Once I am done, I will go back and edit and all that fun stuff. So to be clear, the story itself will not change, but the grammar and spelling and all that will be fixed AT THE END. Once my story is complete, I can focus on all that stuff. I'm posting regardless because I have people on here who want to read what is going on. If you want to wait for the edited copy, then you'll have to give me a year or so. If not, then you can continue to follow this version. It is still clear to read and again, the story itself isn't going to change. Okay, I hope that clears some things up for you all!


	68. The Mysterious Woman

All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

* * *

 **Chapter Sixty-Eight: The Mysterious Woman**

 **Hermione Granger – Present Day**

 **April 2, 2001**

Hermione woke up slightly dazed with a massive headache. She squinted her eyes trying to see through the darkness, when she heard a male whisper "Lumos."

"Remus?" she asked, recognizing the voice.

"Hello, Hermione," he said gently. "How are you feeling?"

"Horrible," she answered honestly. "Where's Tonks?"

"I've sent her home to rest," Remus told her. "Being pregnant and raising a young child takes a lot of energy."

Hermione nodded in agreement. "And Ron?" she asked.

"Not yet, but soon, I am sure." Hermione rolled her eyes but did not respond. "You should get some more sleep," Remus told her. "There are still a few hours until you have to meet Harry."

"Actually, I would prefer a shower if that's alright."

"Of course."

Remus showed Hermione her way to the bathroom, and she proceeded with a long hot shower. It had been quite some time since she had been able to properly wash, and she allowed herself to thoroughly enjoy it. After what felt like an hour, Hermione returned to the sitting room, where Remus sat waiting. "I am assuming Harry still doesn't know, then?" she asked.

Remus shook his head. "We held an emergency Order meeting to inform everyone of the situation, where we learned that Harry had been staying with Aberforth. He returned back home to tell Harry, but when he arrived, Harry had already left."

"Without saying anything?" Hermione asked, alarmed that something had happened to Harry as well.

"Not to worry, he had left a note behind saying that it was time for him to leave, and thanked Aberforth for his hospitality."

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. "I suppose I'll have to be the one to tell him at the rendezvous then," she frowned.

"I'm afraid so," Remus responded honestly. Hermione grabbed her cloak and beaded bag and headed towards the exit. "Hermione, it is only a quarter to three, you should wait until it is time to meet Harry before you head out."

"I'm not going to the rendezvous point just yet," she told him.

"Then stay here; you're safe here."

"Remus, I appreciate everything, I really do, but I must be going. I'll be fine; the darkness of the early morning will help keep me hidden." She was grateful that Remus didn't try to stop her, and after a quick goodbye, she headed out the door.

Hermione was unsure where she was headed at first. Her concern of course was Ron, but until she met with Harry and tried to figure out a plan, there was not much she could do. Her anxiety was high in anticipation of meeting with Harry, and so she decided that she needed a distraction until it was time to head to the mountain side to meet him. Hermione arrived at St. Mungo's, and as expected, she found the hospital silent, and luckily, did not run into anyone else. She made her way to the Longbottom's room, perched herself on a chair in the corner, and reached into her beaded bag. It didn't take her long to find her parchment book of notes, and she took out a quill and began observing. It felt like decades ago since Hermione met with Healer Martus and began her research on the Cruciatus Curse. Although there hadn't been much time to work on her research, she vowed to herself that she wouldn't give up.

"Hermione?" came a confused voice.

Hermione turned around quickly, wand raised, but lowered it once she saw who it was. "Neville!" she said, happy to see her friend. "What are you doing here at this hour?"

"I just finished my Order watch on the hospital," he told her, "so I thought I would come by and see my parents. What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Oh, well, I'm sure you heard about Ron…?"

Neville nodded. "We will find him, Hermione."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "Everyone keeps saying that to me, but you all seem to forget that I am a fairly clever witch and I know what it means when a wizard goes missing."

"This is different," Neville said. "You still didn't tell me why you're here," he added, before she could retaliate.

"The truth is that I needed to take my mind off of the whole situation, until I met with Harry later today," she told him. "So I thought I would come and work on my research."

"You're still researching them?" he asked her, surprise in his voice.

"I know I haven't lately," she said to him, "but I have no intentions of giving up, no matter how long it takes."

"Thank you," Neville said quietly, taking a seat beside her.

"Of course," she said smiling. "But I'm glad you're here, you can help me."

"With what?"

"Well, you know them best. Have you noticed any changes in their behavior at all?"

"No," Neville answered truthfully. "Dad is asleep, as always," he stated. "And Mum is playing with gum wrappers; she does that a lot."

"Does your Mum ever sleep?"

"Actually, she's usually asleep whenever I visit her at night. During the day though, it's usually the gum wrapper thing."

"She isn't asleep now, though," Hermione said, writing something down.

"What is it?" he asked her.

"Well, she's usually asleep when you visit her at night, but today, someone she doesn't know is here, and so she is awake."

"So?"

"Neville, you're familiar to her which is why she continues to go along with her usual routine when you're around, but I'm a stranger to her, so she senses something is different."

"But she's not alert, she's just playing with wrappers."

"Yes, but she's not sleeping. Her brain has been able to make the connection that something is different. Would you be able to sleep with a stranger in the room?"

"No."

"Exactly!"

"But my Dad is still sleeping."

"Yes well, perhaps he has more brain damage than your Mum."

Neville didn't speak for a while, and Hermione took the moment of silence to jot down her thoughts. "How are you parents?" Neville finally spoke.

Hermione smiled sadly. "Away," she answered.

"Well, do they write to you?"

"Neville, for their safety, I obliviated them; they don't know who I am."

"But I thought Malfoy got their memories back?"

"Well no, that isn't something that's possible, but he was able to convince them of the truth."

Oh, then they do know-"

"-I obliviated them again," she interrupted.

"What, why?"

Hermione shrugged. "I had to keep them safe, Neville. Maybe one day after all this is over, I can find them again. They believed the story once, right?"

Neville put his arm around his friend. "I'm sorry," he told her.

"Thank you," she answered, wiping a tear from her eye. "I know if anyone would understand, it would be you."

"I do," he replied. "It's hard without them; I'll never forget that moment when my Mum comforted me."

"You can remember? But weren't you only a year old?"

"Oh, no, I mean when I found out about Jessica."

"What are you talking about?" she asked him.

"Well, when I found out about Jess, I, uh, came here to talk to them," he said, indicating towards his parents. "It helps."

"Of course," Hermione said, nodding in understanding.

"And well, I, er, was sort of, crying…" Hermione said nothing but allowed her friend to take his time and finish his story. "And then I felt this hand on my shoulder and I looked up and it was my Mum."

Hermione gasped. "Neville! Has this ever happened before?"

"No."

"Have you ever cried in front of her before?" Neville shook his head no. "Oh, Neville, don't you see? She's responding to your emotions! This is huge!"

There was some noise coming from outside of the room, and both Neville and Hermione turned towards it.

"It's shift change," Neville told her. "You should go; a Healer will be in here shortly to do their routine check."

"Okay," Hermione said to him. "But I promise Neville, this isn't over!"

"I know," he said to her, smiling gratefully. "But first we worry about getting Ron back." The two friends gave each other a hug goodbye, and Hermione set off, out of the hospital and on her way to meet Harry at the rendezvous point, where he would be expecting to meet both her and Ron, yet sadly, she would be arriving alone.

 **Ginny Weasley – Present Day**

 **April 2, 2001**

"Professor McGonagall," Ginny said, as she saw her old Professor make her way towards the exit of Number Twelve Grimmauld Place. They had just finished an Order of the Phoenix meeting, and everyone was preparing to leave.

"Miss Weasley," responded McGonagall. "I am sorry to hear of your brother, but I am confident that the Order will find him."

"Me too," replied Ginny, "but I actually needed to speak to you about something else, uh, privately if you don't mind." McGonagall gave her an inquiring look but said nothing, and followed her up to the bedroom that Harry and Ginny used when they stayed at Headquarters. "I saw Harry," Ginny finally said, when they were alone. Again, McGonagall said nothing, but allowed Ginny to continue. "And, well, we sort of need your help." Ginny said nothing more but instead handed her the piece of parchment with the mysterious rhyme.

McGonagall read the parchment in silence before speaking. "What three things does this pertain to?" she asked.

"We don't know exactly, but we think it is the Deathly Hallows."

"But that would mean that this person already has one."

"Harry's invisibility cloak is missing."

"I see, and I presume the writer is none other than Grindelwald himself?"

"So we think, but again, we have no way of confirming."

"And what other Hallow does he think you have access to?"

"I have no idea," Ginny answered truthfully. "The only one I knew about was the cloak and that's already gone."

"How did Potter misplace it?"

"Malfoy stole it from our flat. It's a long story," she added, when she saw the look that McGonagall was giving her.

"So, Mister Malfoy is aiding Grindelwald, and they almost have two Hallows in their possession."

"It would seem that way," Ginny responded.

"And what do you need of me?"

"Harry thinks we need to check on the other two Hallows, but it would be dangerous to check on the Elder Wand in case someone is following him."

"I couldn't agree more; the wand is the evilest out of the three."

"So that leaves the stone which is currently hidden in the Forbidden Forest."

"Ah, I see. So you need my permission to search the forest."

Ginny nodded. "Harry knows the rough area where he dropped it, but it is going to be incredibly hard to find as he said that it looks like an ordinary pebble."

"And my guess would be that it is not something that can be magically found, either."

"No, so we are going to need search parties."

"Order members that Mister Potter does not trust."

Ginny smiled at how intuitive McGonagall was. "But he also needs the numbers in order to find it, so he thought it best if we made pairs, and that way each pair is with someone that he _does_ trust."

"I do see the logic in that, Miss Weasley, but I do not see how we can inconspicuously have search parties in the Forbidden Forest."

"I'm sure you can figure out a way," Ginny grinned.

"Leave it with me, then," McGonagall told her. "Once I sort it out, we can notify the rest of the Order. But until such time…"

"Not a word," Ginny agreed.

 **The Mysterious Woman – Present Day**

 **April 2, 2001**

The Mysterious Woman stood in the shadows as she watched Gellert and the Weasley boy. They were still in the shack since Narcissa had dropped him off, but she did not like how opened they were. The shack was known, after all, to the Order of the Phoenix, and although she knew she could get away in a matter of seconds, she was concerned for Gellert. He may have been a powerful wizard, but not even a wizard such as himself could escape around twenty or so wizards at once. She tapped her heel in annoyance, to signal to Gellert that she wanted to be done with this charade.

"I suppose it is time to continue with my plan, then," Gellert said out loud, while watching the Weasley boy that he had tied up in the corner.

"You'll have to kill me because I won't tell you anything!" yelled Ron.

Gellert laughed. "I respect your courage, Ronald Weasley, but my intentions do not involve killing you at this time, nor does it involve talking." He pointed his wand towards Ron. "Abracadabra!" Instantly, Ron fell to the ground, lifeless and silent.

The Mysterious Woman made her way over to Gellert and out of the shadows. "And you're sure this will work, Gellert?"

"Rosa, darling, how can it not? You do understand your part in it, don't you?"

"Of course. I have never been the one to hold up anything in this operation."

"Well then my dear Rose, you must go now and get it done; I want Harry Potter aware of this by tomorrow morning."

The Mysterious Woman nodded and flew off. It didn't take her much time to get to Diagon Alley and she made her way as quickly as possible to her office.

"Ah, there you are," came the voice of a short fat man. "I need you to-"

"Not now, Willy," she said, hurrying past him. "I have a huge story that I need to get out right away." She got to her desk and grabbed the nearest piece of parchment. Sucking on her quick-quotes quill momentarily, she placed it down in front of her and began to speak: "Notorious wizard Harry James Potter…"

After about three quarters of an hour, she put her quick-quotes quill away and read the freshly written article and smiled. "Willy," she called out. The short fat man named Willy appeared at her door. "Take this to the Editor right away; I need this out tomorrow and on the front cover."

"Of course, Madam, whatever you say."

The Mysterious Woman leaned against her desk and smiled. Phase two of the plan was about to begin, and she was confident that Harry Potter and his stupid little friends would not be able to get out of this one. She turned to leave, when she ran into her Editor.

This story," he said to her. "How do you know?"

"You know I have my contacts and you know I won't reveal them," she said smiling.

"And this is true?"

"Of course it's true!"

"Well then, this is quite a story! Chalk it up as another win for the Daily Prophet – this will bring in tons of revenue!"

"I simply report the news," she cackled.

Her Editor smiled. "And nobody reports the news like Rita Skeeter."

 **Gellert Grindelwald – The Past**

 **May 21, 1998**

Gellert woke up with his head pounding, but he did not care. He was out of Nurmengard and he was in what he thought was Germany. He hadn't noticed at first that his savior was standing a few feet away, kneeling beside thousands of shards of glass. He stood up and walked towards her.

"What is that?" he asked.

"What woke you up," she told him.

"And yet it is destroyed."

"I had to destroy it in order for the spell to work."

"But without it, we won't be able to use the Abracadabra spell again!" Gellert said in a panic.

"As legend has it," she began, "there are a total of seven of these. It has been said that four have already been used, and now this one here is the fifth."

"So, there are two left."

"There are two left," she nodded.

"What are we going to have to find then? Another, uh, mirror?"

"This wasn't a mirror; it was an ancient window. When someone is put under the Abracadabra curse, their soul passes through one of these ancient gateways, whichever one is closest. Since I placed you under the spell in Austria, your soul found its way here, to this gateway."

"And does that mean that when you use it, the gateway is destroyed?"

"I was always under the impression that there is a way to preserve it, but I do not know how."

"Well, we will have to figure that out when the time comes," said Grindelwald. "Who is that?" he questioned, noticing a very old man laying a few feet away.

"I do not know," his savior said, frowning. "He wasn't here before."

Grindelwald walked towards the wizard. "He is dead," he said, after a brief examination.

"We best go then," she said, but as she grabbed his arm and made to apparate, she froze. "I never thought of where to take you," she told him truthfully.

"No problem," Grindelwald responded. "During my previous reign, I had several safehouses, the safest being in France." He took charge of the apparition and brought them both to a large hill. "Just beyond there," he told her, as they started to walk towards his favourite safe house.

"You remember our terms," she said to him, as she kept pace with him.

"My dear, you need not worry; your wants are also mine." Grindelwald smiled; he was free, and it was about time to complete what he had started many years ago, for the greater good.

* * *

 **Author's notes:** Well, there you have it; the mysterious woman! I was going to keep her identity a secret for a little longer but I thought you all deserved to know!

Quick comment on a review, I promise there are going to be many happy moments, and not just at the end. Right now I am working on bringing in several plots so it doesn't seem like the trio and gang are having any luck, but rest assured that there will be huge happy moments! (I have a HUGE one that I can't wait to reveal, but it won't be revealed for another few "years" in the story... But I seriously cannot wait to share that one with you all!) I can tell you that September the First should be a great day!

Alright, that's all for now, hope you're enjoying! Let me know what you all think about Grindelwald's team member!


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